More than 2.75 million people may be suffering from a mysterious ailment caused by heavy marijuana use, researchers have found in one of the first surveys estimating a population that was before considered “rare” or “very rare.”
Researchers from New York University surveyed emergency department patients at a diverse Manhattan hospital and found that of over 2,000 people admitted, at least 155 reported symptoms and behaviors consistent with cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS).
The condition is most often observed in heavy marijuana users, of over 20 days or more, and results in nausea and vomiting, with hot showers the most popularly reported relief method.
Their findings were published in the journal Basic and Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology in February.
In 2011, Dr. Jonathan Galli of Temple University School of Medicine, published a report in the journal Current Drug Abuse Reviews of “the recognition of a new clinical condition” called CHS. Increasing reports of nausea and vomiting with the use of marijuana raised alarms within the medical community because of the argument of its beneficial properties, especially for cancer patients of stimulating eating and alleviating nausea caused by chemotherapy treatment.
The latest research provides new numbers for clinicians in evaluating prevalence of CHS.
“CHS should be considered as a plausible diagnosis in the setting of patients with recurrent intractable vomiting and strong history of cannabis abuse,” Dr. Galli wrote in the conclusion of his 2011 paper.
“Further initiatives are needed to determine this disease prevalence and its other epidemiological characteristics, natural history, and pathophysiology. Additional treatments are needed and efforts to discontinue cannabis abuse are paramount,” he wrote.
• Laura Kelly can be reached at lkelly@washingtontimes.com.
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