Arthritis, a chronic disease resulting in disability, affects approximately 350 million people worldwide, making it one of the most prevalent health conditions globally. It is particularly common in North America and is more likely to affect women than men. Although arthritis can affect people of any age, it is more commonly diagnosed in older individuals.
The Role of Cannabis in Arthritis Treatment
Historically, the cannabis plant has been used to treat arthritis to some extent. Recently, a team of Australian researchers conducted a study that found Cannabidiol (CBD), a compound derived from the cannabis plant, to be beneficial for arthritis patients.
The Australian Study on CBD and Arthritis
The study, conducted in Sydney, Australia, focused on patients suffering from arthritis who reported decreased pain and improvements in their health-related quality of life following the use of cannabis products containing significant percentages of CBD. The findings were published in the British Journal of Pain.
The Australian investigators assessed the safety and efficacy of a variety of plant-derived cannabis products in a cohort of chronic pain patients, approximately one-third of whom suffered from arthritis. Under Australian law, physicians may only authorize medical cannabis products to patients that have been unresponsive to conventional prescription treatments.
Findings of the Study
The researchers reported that pain patients were most likely to respond to products containing balanced ratios of THC and CBD. However, over half of the patients with arthritis reported "clinically meaningful improvements" following the use of products containing only CBD.
The authors reported, "Although the CBD-only products did not reach statistical significance in the overall chronic pain cohort, participants with arthritis did report significant improvements in pain intensity and pain impact scores. With arthritis being an inflammatory condition, the anti-inflammatory actions of CBD may be resulting in improved outcomes in these patients."
Side Effects of Cannabis Products
Patients who experienced side-effects from their use of cannabis products were most likely to report dry mouth, drowsiness, and fatigue.
Conclusion
The investigators concluded, "In this analysis, medicinal cannabis, depending on the ratio of CBD to THC, appeared to be associated with significant improvements in pain intensity, pain interference, social functioning and pain impact scores. Balanced and CBD-only products [were] associated with the highest HRQoL [health-related quality of life] improvements."
