Study: Marijuana Consumers Have Lower Mortality, Morbidity, and Hospitalization-Costs Among Pancreatitis Patients
Those with acute pancreatitis who have a history of marijuana use have “lower age-adjusted, mortality, morbidity, and hospitalization-cost than non-cannabis-exposed patients”, according to a new study.
The study, titled, The Impact of Cannabis Consumption on Mortality, Morbidity, and Cost in Acute Pancreatitis Patients in the United States: A 10-Year Analysis of the National Inpatient Sample, was published in the journal Pancreas and was published by the National Institute of Health. The aim of this study “was to identify the prevalence of cannabis use among all patients admitted with acute pancreatitis (AP) in the United States and to investigate the impact of cannabis use on AP mortality, morbidity, and cost of care.”
For the study the National Inpatient Sample database from 2003 to 2013 was queried for all patients with AP and active exposure to cannabis. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality, length of stay, inflation-adjusted charges, acute kidney injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock. Results were adjusted for age, sex, race, Charlson comorbidity index, median income quartile, and hospital characteristics.
“More than 2.8 million patients with AP patients were analyzed”, states the study. “[T]he CE [cannabis exposed] group had significantly lower inpatient mortality compared with the non-cannabis group. Cannabis-exposed patients also had decreased length of stay, inflation-adjusted charges, acute kidney injury, ileus, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and parenteral nutrition requirement.’
The study concludes by stating Cannabis-exposed hospitalized patients with AP had lower age-adjusted, mortality, morbidity, and hospitalization-cost than non-cannabis-exposed patients.
For more information on this study, click here.
The full abstract of the study can be found below:
METHODS:
The National Inpatient Sample database from 2003 to 2013 was queried for all patients with AP and active exposure to cannabis. Outcomes included in-hospital mortality, length of stay, inflation-adjusted charges, acute kidney injury, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and shock. Results were adjusted for age, sex, race, Charlson comorbidity index, median income quartile, and hospital characteristics.
RESULTS:
More than 2.8 million patients with AP patients were analyzed. Cannabis-exposed (CE) patients’ prevalence was 0.3%. Patients exposed to cannabis were younger and mostly males compared with non-cannabis-exposed patients. After adjusting for these factors, the CE group had significantly lower inpatient mortality compared with the non-cannabis group (odds ratio, 0.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.06-0.53). Cannabis-exposed patients also had decreased length of stay, inflation-adjusted charges, acute kidney injury, ileus, shock, acute respiratory distress syndrome, and parenteral nutrition requirement.
CONCLUSIONS:
Cannabis-exposed hospitalized patients with AP had lower age-adjusted, mortality, morbidity, and hospitalization-cost than non-cannabis-exposed patients.