A new study “suggests that cannabis-based medicinal products are associated with an improvement in health-related quality of life in UK patients with chronic diseases.”
The study is being published in the journal Expert Review of Clinical Pharmacology and it was epublished online ahead of print by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. It was conducted by researchers at Imperial College London, Sapphire Medical Clinics, St. Georgia Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire, Kings College London Healthcare NHS Trust, South London & Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust and Dudley Group of Hospitals NHS Trust.
“There is a paucity of high-quality data on patient outcomes and safety after initiating treatment with cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs)”, states the study’s researchers. “The aim of this study was to assess the clinical outcomes and safety of CBMPs by analyzing patient-reported outcome measures and adverse events across a broad spectrum of chronic conditions.”
The study analyzed patients enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. Participants completed the EQ-5D-5L to assess health-related quality of life, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire to measure anxiety severity, and the Single-item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) to rate sleep quality at baseline and follow-up after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.
2833 participants met inclusion criteria.
“The EQ-5D-5L index value, GAD-7, and SQS all improved at each follow-up (p<0.001)”, states the study. “There was no difference in EQ-5D-5L index values between former or current illicit cannabis consumers and naïve patients (p>0.050). Adverse events were reported by 474 (16.73%) participants.”
Researchers conclude by stating that “This study suggests that CBMPs are associated with an improvement in health-related quality of life in UK patients with chronic diseases. Treatment was tolerated well by most participants, but adverse events were more common in female and cannabis-naïve patients.”
For more information on this study, click here.
