NEW YORK, BRONX (ORDO News) — A recent study conducted in the United States has suggested that individuals who smoked marijuana and contracted the coronavirus experienced less severe illness and lower death rates than those who did not use cannabis.
The research aimed to investigate the impact of cannabis on the course of COVID-19 by reviewing the medical records of over 320,000 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 from the National Inpatient Sample Database, which tracks hospitalizations and treatment outcomes. Among the patients included in the analysis, less than one percent (2,603 individuals) reported smoking marijuana.
After adjusting the data for factors such as age, ethnicity, gender, and 17 other comorbidities, including chronic lung disease, the researchers compared the experiences of COVID-19 infection between individuals who smoked cannabis and those who did not use cannabis.
The study revealed that marijuana smokers had significantly lower rates of intubation, acute respiratory distress syndrome, acute respiratory failure, severe sepsis with multiple organ failure, in-hospital cardiac arrest, and mortality compared to non-cannabis users.
Moreover, the comparison of the two patient groups found that marijuana users were generally younger and more likely to smoke tobacco. Non-cannabis users, on the other hand, had a higher prevalence of comorbidities, including obstructive sleep apnea, obesity, hypertension, and diabetes.
The study’s authors hypothesized that the positive impact of cannabis on the course of COVID-19 might be related to its ability to prevent the virus from entering cells and to inhibit the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, thus mitigating cytokine release syndrome.
However, the researchers emphasized the need for further investigation and called for larger-scale studies to confirm these findings.
It’s important to note that cannabis is known to have immunosuppressive effects. Since severe COVID-19 cases are often associated with an overactive immune response, it is possible that the immunosuppressive properties of marijuana play a role in its effects on COVID-19 outcomes.
These findings add to the ongoing debate surrounding the impact of cannabis on COVID-19.
Some studies have suggested that marijuana users may be less susceptible to COVID-19, but if infected, they may have a lower likelihood of surviving. Other research has indicated that active cannabis users who are hospitalized with COVID-19 tend to have milder illnesses and fewer severe health consequences.
However, it’s essential to approach these results with caution, as marijuana use has been associated with an increased risk of heart attacks, which are a leading cause of death worldwide, in many other studies.
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News agencies contributed to this report, edited and published by ORDO News editors.
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