New medical cannabis patients experience rapid and meaningful improvements in their health-related quality of life, according to a study published in the Journal of Cannabis Research.
Researchers from the College of Osteopathic Medicine in Philadelphia, USA assessed 438 patients who were new to using medical cannabis and treating one of over 20 qualifying conditions.
Patients were interviewed about various health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measures, including physical functioning, bodily pain, social functioning, fatigue and general health. The participants were most commonly prescribed medical cannabis to treat anxiety disorders or “severe chronic or intractable pain.”
“Little is known about what happens to individuals who use cannabis products for medicinal purposes in regard to functioning and health,” said lead author Michelle R. Lent, PhD, “This study, one of the largest to date, captured how their lives and health status changed after using these products. In the era of precision medicine, understanding which type of patient may benefit from which type of therapy is of high importance.”
In a follow-up interview conducted three months after commencing treatment with medical cannabis, participants reported significant improvements in ratings of their role limitations due to physical health and emotional problems, and in social functioning, according to the study. These gains, which the authors said “represent clinically meaningful change”, included a 20% improvement in reported pain levels, a 20% increase in social functioning, and a 15% improvement in emotional well-being. The largest gains in physical functioning and pain levels occurred in younger participants compared to older respondents.
“The use of medical marijuana for three months was associated with improvements in physical, social, emotional and pain-related HRQoL,” the researchers said. “Ongoing surveillance of HRQoL in individuals with physical and mental health conditions can help to treat the ‘whole person’ and to capture any collateral impact of selected therapeutic approaches as treatment initiates and progresses. Results from this study can help patients, their caregivers, and their providers to make more informed and evidence-based decisions on whether to incorporate medical marijuana into their treatment regimens.”
