Pilot Cross-Sectional Study Assessing the Correlation between Marijuana Use and Rheumatoid Arthritis and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Exacerbations.
| Journal | Southern medical journal |
| Study Type | Pilot Study |
| Population | Human participants |
This item covers developments relevant to cannabis medicine and clinical practice. Clinicians monitoring evidence in this area should review the source material.
Cannabis use is increasing among patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases, often for symptom relief; however, its impact on disease activity remains unclear. This pilot study assessed whether cannabis use was associated with differences in flare frequency or duration among patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), or both. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a university-based rheumatology clinic in a US state where medical and recreational cannabis is legal. Adults (≥18 years) with confirmed RA, SLE, or both, receiving disease-modifying antirheumatic drug therapy for ≥3 months were included. Participants (N = 85) completed structured interviews assessing cannabis use, flare characteristics, and patient-reported outcomes. Demographics, comorbidities, substance use, and inflammatory markers also were collected. Among 85 participants (mean age 54 years; 89.4% female), 74.1% had RA, 17.6% SLE, and 8.2% had both. Cannabis use was reported by 30% o
“This is a development worth tracking. The clinical implications will become clearer as more evidence accumulates.”
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This study item was assembled from normalized source metadata and pipeline scoring.
