UK medical cannabis patients with inflammatory bowel disease reported improvements over 18 months
IBD patients prescribed cannabis-based products in the UK showed improved quality of life, anxiety, and sleep scores over 18 months, though without a control group, the cause of improvement remains uncertain.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Among 116 IBD patients in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry treated with cannabis-based products, there were statistically significant improvements in IBD-specific quality of life (SIBDQ), generalized anxiety (GAD-7), sleep quality (SQS), and general quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) over 18 months.
Key Numbers
116 patients; 81% male; mean age 39.5 years; significant improvements in SIBDQ, GAD-7, SQS, and EQ-5D-5L (all p < 0.05); 17.2% reported adverse events (155 total events)
How They Did This
Prospective registry study tracking 116 IBD patients prescribed cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) through the UK Medical Cannabis Registry, with validated outcome measures collected from baseline through 18 months.
Why This Research Matters
Long-term data on cannabis-based products for IBD is scarce. This 18-month follow-up from a real-world registry provides some of the longest observational data available for this patient population.
The Bigger Picture
IBD treatment options remain limited for many patients. Real-world registry data like this can help identify whether cannabis-based products warrant further investigation through randomized controlled trials.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
No control group so improvements could reflect natural disease course or placebo effects; predominantly male sample; registry data subject to selection bias; patients self-selected into cannabis treatment
Questions This Raises
- ?Would these improvements hold up in a randomized controlled trial with a placebo arm?
- ?What specific cannabis formulations and doses produced the best outcomes?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 116 IBD patients tracked for 18 months
- Evidence Grade:
- Real-world registry study with validated outcome measures but no control group or randomization.
- Study Age:
- 2024 study with 18-month follow-up data
- Original Title:
- UK medical cannabis registry: an updated analysis of clinical outcomes of cannabis-based medicinal products for inflammatory bowel disease.
- Published In:
- Expert review of gastroenterology & hepatology, 18(12), 829-838 (2024)
- Authors:
- Gupta, Aashray, Erridge, Simon(22), Graf, Vivian, Kelada, Monica, Bapir, Lara, Jesuraj, Naveen, Warner-Levy, John, Clarke, Evonne, McLachlan, Katy, Coomber, Ross, Rucker, James J, Platt, Michael W, Sodergren, Mikael H
- Database ID:
- RTHC-05359
Evidence Hierarchy
Watches what happens naturally without intervening.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What improved for IBD patients using medical cannabis?
Patients showed statistically significant improvements across multiple measures: IBD-specific quality of life, generalized anxiety, sleep quality, and general health-related quality of life over the 18-month treatment period.
Were there side effects?
About 17% of patients reported adverse events, with 155 total events recorded across the study population. The study authors note that causation cannot be inferred from this type of observational data.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-05359APA
Gupta, Aashray; Erridge, Simon; Graf, Vivian; Kelada, Monica; Bapir, Lara; Jesuraj, Naveen; Warner-Levy, John; Clarke, Evonne; McLachlan, Katy; Coomber, Ross; Rucker, James J; Platt, Michael W; Sodergren, Mikael H. (2024). UK medical cannabis registry: an updated analysis of clinical outcomes of cannabis-based medicinal products for inflammatory bowel disease.. Expert review of gastroenterology & hepatology, 18(12), 829-838. https://doi.org/10.1080/17474124.2024.2443574
MLA
Gupta, Aashray, et al. "UK medical cannabis registry: an updated analysis of clinical outcomes of cannabis-based medicinal products for inflammatory bowel disease.." Expert review of gastroenterology & hepatology, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1080/17474124.2024.2443574
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "UK medical cannabis registry: an updated analysis of clinica..." RTHC-05359. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/gupta-2024-uk-medical-cannabis-registry
Access the Original Study
Study data sourced from PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health.
This study breakdown was produced by the RethinkTHC research team. We analyze and report published research findings without making health recommendations. All interpretations are based solely on the published abstract and study data.