(Press-News.org) People taking medical cannabis for chronic pain have a slightly increased risk of arrhythmia, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1] today (Thursday). Arrhythmia is when the heart beats too slowly, too quickly or irregularly. It includes conditions like atrial fibrillation.
Recreational use of cannabis has been linked to cardiovascular disease but there has been very little research on the side effects of medical cannabis.
Researchers say the new study is important as a growing number of countries now permit medical cannabis as a treatment for chronic pain.
The study was led by Dr. Anders Holt from Copenhagen University Hospital – Herlev and Gentofte in Denmark. It included data on 5,391 Danish patients who had been prescribed cannabis for chronic pain. This included people with pain in their muscles, joints or bones, people with cancer and those suffering with nerve pain. Researchers compared this group with 26,941 patients who also had chronic pain but were not receiving cannabis as a treatment.
The data showed that patients receiving medical cannabis had a 0.8% risk of being diagnosed with arrhythmia that required monitoring and possible treatment within 180 days of receiving cannabis. This risk was more than twice the risk for patients with chronic pain who were not taking cannabis. The difference in risk between the two groups had become smaller when researchers looked at the first year of treatment.
Patients taking cannabis who were aged 60 and older and those already diagnosed with cancer or cardiometabolic disease, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, had the largest increases in their risk of arrhythmia.
The study did not show any link between taking medical cannabis and the risk of acute coronary syndrome, which includes a heart attack and unstable angina, stroke or heart failure.
Dr. Holt said: “Medical cannabis is now allowed as a treatment for chronic pain in 38 US states as well as several countries in Europe – such as Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands and the UK – and elsewhere around the world. This means more and more doctors will find themselves prescribing cannabis, despite a lack of evidence on its side effects.
“I don’t think this research should make patients with chronic pain refrain from trying medical cannabis if other treatment has been inadequate. However, these results do suggest some improved monitoring may be advisable initially, especially in patients who are already at increased risk of cardiovascular disease.”
Researchers say this is the first nationwide study of its kind investigating the cardiovascular effects of medical cannabis for chronic pain. However, they caution that this is an observational study. Dr. Holt explained: “Despite our best efforts to make a balanced comparison, it can never be assumed that patients prescribed medical cannabis do not differ from patients not prescribed medical cannabis, and this could influence the results.”
He added: “We need much more research in this area. Before concluding anything, results from this study should be replicated in other countries and settings. It would also be interesting to understand if there are any links between long-term cannabis use and heart failure, stroke, or acute coronary syndrome. This would be an important area to clarify since chronic pain can persist for many years.”
In an accompanying editorial [2], Prof. Robert L. Page from the University of Colorado, USA, said: “Close pharmacovigilance of cannabis, as well as its safety and efficacy, have been limited by decades of worldwide illegality and by the ongoing classification of cannabis as a Schedule 1 controlled substance in the USA. Nonetheless, with increased cannabis decriminalisation and legalisation across the globe, the association between cannabis exposure and incident cardiovascular events has emerged as an important safety signal.
“Therapeutically, these findings suggest that medical cannabis may not be a ‘one-size-fits-all’ therapeutic option for certain medical conditions and should be contextualised based on patient comorbidities and potential vulnerability to side effects.
“Cannabis is typically referred to as recreational and ‘medical’ or ‘medicinal’. This latter terminology has come under scrutiny as it includes both phytochemical-derived cannabis products and also those prescription cannabinoids approved in the EU. Additionally, the term ‘medical’ implies that the product may have some clinical monitoring along with safety and efficacy data, which is far from true with cannabis. To this end, I would argue that ‘cannabis for therapeutic use’ would be a more appropriate terminology rather than ‘medical’.”
END
Nationwide study suggests link between medical cannabis for chronic pain and abnormal heart rhythm
2024-01-11
[Attachments] See images for this press release:
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
UQ leads the world’s largest drug survey
2024-01-11
Researchers from The University of Queensland have launched the world’s biggest drug survey, to gain insight into drug use around the globe.
The Global Drug Survey was founded by Professor Adam Winstock from University College London and has been running annually since 2012.
This year the survey is led by Dr Cheneal Puljevic from UQ’s School of Public Health.
“The aim of the Global Drug Survey is to make drug use safer for people, regardless of the drug’s legality,” Dr Puljevic said.
“We hope to gain insight ...
Panel members for new psychiatric ‘bible’ received over $14M from industry
2024-01-11
Sixty percent of US physicians serving as panel and task force members for the American Psychiatric Association’s official manual of psychiatric disorders received payments from industry totalling $14.24m, finds a study published by The BMJ.
Because of the enormous influence of diagnostic and treatment guidelines, the researchers say their findings “raise questions about the editorial independence of this diagnostic manual.”
Often referred to as the ‘bible’ of psychiatric disorders, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition, text revision (DSM-5-TR) ...
Perinatal depression linked to increased risk of death
2024-01-11
Women who suffer depression during or after pregnancy have a higher risk of death by both natural and unnatural causes, a new study of childbirth in Sweden published in The BMJ reports. The increased risk peaks in the month after diagnosis but remains elevated for as long as 18 years afterwards.
Women who develop perinatal depression, which is to say depression during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth, are generally twice as likely to die of natural or, as in most cases, unnatural causes. They are six times more likely to commit than women without this form of depression. The increase ...
Landmark national study supports use of whole genome sequencing in standard cancer care
2024-01-11
Study shows that combining whole genome sequence and clinical data together at scale supports the delivery of precision cancer care, where cancer diagnosis and treatment is tailored to the individual patient
Results support increased use of genomic testing in cancer care via the NHS Genomic Medicine Service
The research shows the value of data from the ground-breaking 100,000 Genomes Project to improve understanding of cancer and help researchers to develop new treatments.
In the largest study of its kind, scientists today report how combining health data with whole genome sequence (WGS) data in patients with cancer can help doctors provide more tailored care for ...
Is there a common link between the physical and social worlds? Two brothers think so.
2024-01-11
A Rutgers biophysical chemist and his brother, a political scientist on the West Coast, have joined intellectual forces, realizing a long-standing dream of co-authoring an article that bridges their disciplines involving cells and society.
In their paper, they have proposed that powerful parallels exist between the microscopic, natural world of cells and molecules and the human-forged realm of organizations and political systems.
Taking it a step further, the brothers – eminent scholars who have served as top leaders of their respective institutions – have proposed that humankind can draw lessons from what the microscopic and macroscopic worlds have in common. Ideally, ...
Artificial intelligence helps unlock advances in wireless communications
2024-01-11
A new wave of communication technology is quickly approaching and researchers at UBC Okanagan are investigating ways to configure next-generation mobile networks.
Dr. Anas Chaaban works in the UBCO Communication Theory Lab where researchers are busy analyzing a theoretical wireless communication architecture that will be optimized to handle increasing data loads while sending and receiving data faster.
Next-generation mobile networks are expected to outperform 5G on many fronts such as reliability, coverage and intelligence, explains Dr. Chaaban, an Assistant Professor ...
Personalizing lifestyle interventions for cancer survivors
2024-01-11
MIAMI, FLORIDA (Jan. 10, 2024) – Researchers with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have received funding to better understand how personalized nutrition and exercise programs can improve quality of life after cancer treatment.
The three-year, approximately $700,000 grant from the Applebaum Foundation with added support by Sylvester, will fund the On Precision Oncology Interventions in Nutrition and Training (OnPOINT) clinical study to develop individualized diet and activity programs ...
Louisiana Cancer Research Center accepting applications for summer undergraduate research program - SUCRE
2024-01-10
January 10, 2024, New Orleans, LA - College students interested in pursuing a career in cancer research are urged to apply to The Louisiana Cancer Research Center’s 8-week Summer Undergraduate Cancer Research Experience, SUCRE.
Selected students can explore and develop their interests by working in a research lab with an assigned faculty mentor from member institutions Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans, Tulane School of Medicine and Xavier University of Louisiana.
The program runs from Thursday, June 3 through Friday, July 26, 2024. ...
NASA’s Webb discovers dusty ‘cat’s tail’ in Beta Pictoris System
2024-01-10
Beta Pictoris, a young planetary system located just 63 light-years away, continues to intrigue scientists even after decades of in-depth study. It possesses the first dust disk imaged around another star — a disk of debris produced by collisions between asteroids, comets, and planetesimals. Observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed a second debris disk in this system, inclined with respect to the outer disk, which was seen first. Now, a team of astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to image the Beta Pictoris system (Beta Pic) has discovered a new, previously unseen structure.
The ...
Texas A&M AgriLife Research gets $5.2 million grant for onion improvement
2024-01-10
Texas A&M AgriLife Research received more than $5.2 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for a project to address multiple aspects of the southern U.S. onion harvest system.
Subas Malla, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research associate professor at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Uvalde, will serve as director for a short-day onion project. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Paul Schattenberg)
The director for the “Ensuring Future Economic Viability of U.S. Short-Day ...