Cannabis dependence tied to poor outcomes in Asthma Exacerbations: CHEST

Written By : Dr. Nandita Mohan |Medically Reviewed By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli Published On 2020-10-26T08:33:35+05:30 | Updated On 26 Oct 2020 8:33 AM IST

Researchers have found in a new study that patients of cannabis dependence have worse outcomes in Asthma exacerbations.The research was presented at the CHEST Annual Meeting 2020 held virtually due to COVID-19.

Recent changes in the legalization of recreational cannabis have increased its use by public at large but simultaneously has led to growing concerns about its safety and public health implications.

Cannabis use may have the risk of future respiratory complications in Asthma patients but till date, there has been no study examining the relationship between cannabis dependence (CD) and hospital admissions for asthma exacerbations (AE).

The present study was conducted solely aimed to examine the relationship between cannabis dependence and asthma exacerbations using the National Readmission Database.

"We found that cannabis use is related to higher in-hospital mortality, higher morbidity including higher IR, use PIMV, and Resource utilization, including total Hospitalization Cost with No Difference in 30 Day-readmission, BR and LOS", exclaimed Palakkumar Patel, the lead author of the study.

A retrospective analysis of 179,771 patients narrowed down from the 2016 and 2017 National Readmission Database was carried out. Admissions with a diagnosis of Asthma Exacerbation (AE) as primary diagnosis and cannabis dependence as a secondary diagnosis using ICD 10-CM codes was highlighted as the inclusion criteria. However, patients under 18 years, non-elective admission, and discharged prior were excluded.

The primary outcome was in-hospital mortality during the index admission. Secondary outcomes were 30-Day Readmission rates, Resource utilization, and Morbidity Including Intubation rates (IR), Prolong Invasive Mechanical Ventilation >96hr (PIMV), and Bronchoscopy rate (BR) during the Index admission. We used multivariate linear/logistic models to adjust for confounders, describes Patel and colleagues.

Of the total shortlisted sample, only 6,583 (3.67 %) patients had a diagnosis of CD. CD was most commonly seen in patients with a mean age of 35 years and more so among the males (51.5%).

The following findings were noted-

a. CD was associated with higher morbidity including Intubation rates, Prolong Invasive Mechanical Ventilation.

b. CD was also associated with higher resource utilization with total hospitalization cost.

c. Both patient groups have similar odds of 30-day readmission, and Bronchoscopy rates and length of stay.

"As the legalization of recreational cannabis use continues to gain popularity, clinicians and legislators need to consider the above implications of cannabis use," the researchers wrote. "Future studies should evaluate the exact mechanism of increased mortality and morbidity linked to cannabis dependence."said authors.

For further reference log on to:

Patel P, Arjun S, Wang Y, Li S, Patel P. Impact of cannabis dependence in patients admitted with asthma exacerbation on their healthcare outcomes and readmission: a US population cohort study. Presented at: the CHEST Virtual Annual Meeting; October 18-21, 2020. Abstract 24.

cannabis addictionSevere Asthma ExacerbationsHospitalizationsCHEST Annual Meeting 2020poorer outcomes

Source : CHEST journal

Dr. Nandita Mohan

Dr. Nandita Mohan is a practicing pediatric dentist with more than 5 years of clinical work experience. Along with this, she is equally interested in keeping herself up to date about the latest developments in the field of medicine and dentistry which is the driving force for her to be in association with Medical Dialogues. She also has her name attached with many publications; both national and international. She has pursued her BDS from Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences, Bangalore and later went to enter her dream specialty (MDS) in the Department of Pedodontics and Preventive Dentistry from Pt. B.D. Sharma University of Health Sciences. Through all the years of experience, her core interest in learning something new has never stopped. She can be contacted at editorial@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751

Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli

Dr Kamal Kant Kohli-MBBS, DTCD- a chest specialist with more than 30 years of practice and a flair for writing clinical articles, Dr Kamal Kant Kohli joined Medical Dialogues as a Chief Editor of Medical News. Besides writing articles, as an editor, he proofreads and verifies all the medical content published on Medical Dialogues including those coming from journals, studies,medical conferences,guidelines etc. Email: drkohli@medicaldialogues.in. Contact no. 011-43720751