Sickle Cell Disease: Cannabis may improve pain-related mood

ISLAMABAD, July 23 (online): A new study has found that cannabis may improve the mood of people who experience chronic pain from sickle cell disease.

New research suggests that cannabis may help improve the mood of people with chronic pain from sickle cell disease. This proof of principle study also found that cannabis was a relatively safe intervention.

The research verify the initial findings and expand the investigation on cannabis-based interventions on chronic pain.

Sickle cell disease is a type of red blood cell disorder that causes the cells to become misshapen and look similar to the crescent shape of a sickle.

Sickle red blood cells die sooner than normal cells, which means less oxygen is transported throughout a person’s body. Furthermore, sickle cells tend to clog smaller blood vessels, resulting in acute or chronic pain, infection, and other serious cardiovascular issues.

Cannabis is increasingly popular as an analgesic. It is legal for medicinal use in 33 states, as well as the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Cannabis use as an analgesic has been found to have the best evidence base compared to its use for other interventions. However, the authors of this study note that there are relatively few human studies that explore the use of cannabis as a treatment for pain from chronic health conditions.

To address this issue, the authors developed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized proof of principle study. Their aim was to test the hypothesis that cannabis can effectively relieve chronic pain in adults with sickle cell disease, compared to placebo.

The study enrolled participants who had sickle cell disease and were being treated with an opioid analgesic to manage their pain.