Assessment of Clinical Outcomes in Patients With Osteoarthritis: Analysis From the UK Medical Cannabis Registry.

Osteoarthritis accounts for 0.6% of disability-adjusted life years globally. There is a paucity of research focused on cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) for osteoarthritic chronic pain management. This study aims to assess changes in validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) and CBMP clinical safety in patients with osteoarthritis. A prospective case series from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry was analyzed. Primary outcomes were changes in the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ2), EQ-5D-5L, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) questionnaire, and Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS) at 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month follow-ups from baseline. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.4.0 was used for adverse event (AE) analysis. Statistical significance was defined as p < 0.050. Seventy-seven patients met inclusion criteria. CBMP initiation correlated with BPI pain severity (p = 0.004), pain interference (p = 0.005), and MPQ2 (p = 0.017) improvements at all follow-ups compared to baseline. There were improvements in the EQ-5D-5L index (p = 0.026), SQS (p < 0.001), and GAD-7 (p = 0.038) up to 6 and 3 months, respectively. Seventeen participants (22.08%) recorded 76 mild AEs (34.86%), 104 moderate AEs (47.71%), and 38 severe AEs (17.43%). Though causality cannot be assumed in this observational study, results support development of randomized control trials for osteoarthritis pain management with CBMPs.

Assessment of clinical outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia: Analysis from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry.

INTRODUCTION: There are limited therapeutic options for individuals with fibromyalgia. The aim of this study is to analyze changes in health-related quality of life and incidence of adverse events of those prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) for fibromyalgia. METHODS: Patients treated with CBMPs for a minimum of 1 month were identified from the UK Medical Cannabis Registry. Primary outcomes were changes in validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). A p-value of <.050 was deemed statistically significant. RESULTS: In total, 306 patients with fibromyalgia were included for analysis. There were improvements in global health-related quality of life at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months (p < .0001). The most frequent adverse events were fatigue (n = 75; 24.51%), dry mouth (n = 69; 22.55%), concentration impairment (n = 66; 21.57%), and lethargy (n = 65; 21.24%). CONCLUSION: CBMP treatment was associated with improvements in fibromyalgia-specific symptoms, in addition to sleep, anxiety, and health-related quality of life. Those who reported prior cannabis use appeared to have a greater response. CBMPs were generally well-tolerated. These results must be interpreted within the limitations of study design.

Interactions between herbal remedies and antirheumatic drugs.

Many patients with rheumatological conditions use herbal remedies as an adjunct to their conventional antirheumatic medication, often without seeking advice. Herbal remedies are exempt from the usual drug safety requirements and may be a cause of both adverse effects and drug interactions. Data on interactions between herbal remedies and conventional antirheumatic medication is scarce. Reasons include a perception that herbal remedies are safe, a lack of reporting by patients and healthcare professionals and a lack of knowledge about the pharmacology and composition of herbal remedies, as well as adulteration. Interactions are likely between herbal remedies with antiplatelet or nephrotoxic effects and NSAIDs, hepatotoxic herbal remedies and disease-modifying antirheumatic medication, and between St. John's Wort and cyclosporin.

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis: two cases of sacral disease responsive to corticosteroids.

Chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis is a rare inflammatory form of osteomyelitis of unknown etiology. It affects children and adolescents, and signs and symptoms include recurrent episodes of bone pain, tenderness, possible constitutional upset, and increased inflammatory markers. We present 2 patients with cases of chronic recurrent multifocal osteomyelitis affecting the sacrum who responded dramatically to treatment with corticosteroids.

Enteropathic arthritis.

Enteropathic arthritis is a form of arthritis associated with the chronic inflammatory bowel diseases, ulcerative colitis, and Crohn's disease. This form of arthritis is classified as one of the group of seronegative spondyloarthropathies, which also includes psoriatic arthritis, reactive arthritis, and idiopathic ankylosing spondylitis. Joint involvement also occurs with other gastrointestinal diseases such as Whipple's disease, celiac disease, and following intestinal bypass surgery for morbid obesity. In these conditions, abnormal bowel permeability and immunologic and genetic influences are probably involved in the pathogenesis of the joint disease, although the exact mechanisms remain uncertain.