Impact of Recreational Cannabis Legalization on Hospitalizations for Hyperemesis.

INTRODUCTION: Chronic cannabis use had been associated with hyperemesis. We sought to determine whether cannabis liberalization contributed to increased hospitalizations for hyperemesis. METHODS: Cannabis use and admissions for hyperemesis in legalized states were compared with those of nonlegalized states, before and after cannabis legalization, using state inpatient databases. RESULTS: From 2011 to 2015, cannabis use increased 2.2 times in legalized states and 1.8 times in nonlegalized states. The odds of presentation with hyperemesis were higher in 2015 compared with those of 2011 in all states. DISCUSSION: Recreational legalization may be contributing to rising cannabis use. Hospitalizations for hyperemesis have also increased but did not seem to be solely due to cannabis legalization.

Impact of Cannabis Use on Inpatient Inflammatory Bowel Disease Outcomes in 2 States Legalizing Recreational Cannabis.

Background: We evaluated the impact of recreational cannabis legalization on use and inpatient outcomes of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Methods: Hospitalized adult patients in Colorado and Washington before (2011) and after (2015) recreational cannabis legalization were compared by chi-square tests for categorical variables and t-tests for continuous variables. Multivariable regression models adjusting for demographic data were fit to assess the association of cannabis use with hospital outcomes. Results: Reported cannabis use increased after legalization (1.2% vs 4.2%, P < .001). On multivariable analysis, in 2011, cannabis users were less likely to need total parenteral nutrition (odds ratio 0.12, P = .038), and in 2015 had less hospital charges ($-8418, P = .024). Conclusions: The impact of cannabis legalization and use on IBD is difficult to analyze but may have implications on inpatient IBD outcomes as described in this retrospective analysis. Large, prospective studies are needed to evaluate other IBD outcomes based on cannabis legalization and use.

Acute and Severe Acute Pancreatitis and the Effect of Cannabis in States Before and After Legalization Compared With States Without Legalized Cannabis.

OBJECTIVES: Cannabis legalization has increased its use. The incidence of acute pancreatitis (AP) and severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) has also increased. In this study, data on pancreatitis were obtained from 2 states before and after cannabis legalization and compared with 2 states without legalized cannabis. METHODS: Data were extracted from State Inpatient Databases from the states of Colorado and Washington before recreational cannabis legalization (2011) and after legalization (2015). Arizona and Florida were used as the nonlegalized cannabis states. Multivariable logistic regression models were fit for AP and SAP to determine a trend difference between legalized and nonlegalized cannabis states. RESULTS: Cannabis use, AP, and SAP increased in all states. The increase in AP and SAP was not significantly different between the states that legalized cannabis use and those that did not. Legalized cannabis states had lower charges for AP and SAP and shorter length of hospitalizations. CONCLUSIONS: The trend of AP and SAP increased during the study period, but this was not correlated to cannabis use. Cannabis users had lower hospitalization costs and hospital stay. The effects of other confounders such as cannabis dose and delivery methods, alcohol, tobacco, and others need to be studied further as use increases.

Predictors of Pancreatic Cancer-Associated Weight Loss and Nutritional Interventions.

OBJECTIVES: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is often accompanied by weight loss. We sought to characterize factors associated with weight loss and observed nutritional interventions, as well as define the effect of weight loss on survival. METHODS: Consecutive subjects diagnosed with PDAC (N = 123) were retrospectively evaluated. Univariate analysis was used to compare subjects with and without substantial (>5%) weight loss. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with weight loss, and survival analyses were performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and Cox survival models. RESULTS: Substantial weight loss at diagnosis was present in 71.5% of subjects and was independently associated with higher baseline body mass index, longer symptom duration, and increased tumor size. Recommendations for nutrition consultation and pancreatic enzyme replacement therapy occurred in 27.6% and 36.9% of subjects, respectively. Weight loss (>5%) was not associated with worse survival on multivariate analysis (hazard ratio, 1.32; 95% confidence interval, 0.76-2.30), unless a higher threshold (>10%) was used (hazard ratio, 1.77; 95% confidence interval, 1.09-2.87). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the high prevalence of weight loss at PDAC diagnosis, there are low observed rates of nutritional interventions. Weight loss based on current criteria for cancer cachexia is not associated with poor survival in PDAC.