Eleven marijuana users developed a rare bowel condition requiring surgery
A case series of 11 patients found an association between heavy marijuana use and small bowel intussusception, a rare condition where the intestine telescopes into itself.
Quick Facts
What This Study Found
Eleven patients, all heavy marijuana users, presented with small bowel intussusception at a single institution. All required surgical intervention. No alternative cause (such as tumor or anatomical defect) was identified in most cases, suggesting a possible functional mechanism related to cannabis effects on gut motility.
Key Numbers
11 patients; all heavy marijuana users; all required surgical treatment; no structural lead point identified in most cases.
How They Did This
Retrospective case series of 11 patients at a single institution who presented with small bowel intussusception and had documented heavy marijuana use.
Why This Research Matters
Small bowel intussusception in adults is rare and usually caused by structural abnormalities. This series raises the possibility that heavy cannabis use might affect gut motility in ways that predispose to this condition.
The Bigger Picture
Cannabis is known to affect gastrointestinal motility through CB1 receptors in the gut. This case series adds to a growing body of literature linking heavy cannabis use to GI complications, including cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome.
What This Study Doesn't Tell Us
Case series without controls; no way to establish causation. Single institution may reflect referral bias. Small sample size. No dose-response data or quantification of cannabis use.
Questions This Raises
- ?Is there a dose-dependent relationship between cannabis use and intussusception risk?
- ?What is the mechanism, and does it involve cannabinoid receptor-mediated changes in gut motility?
Trust & Context
- Key Stat:
- 11 patients, all heavy marijuana users, all needed surgery
- Evidence Grade:
- Preliminary: case series with no control group and small sample size.
- Study Age:
- Published 2017.
- Original Title:
- Small bowel intussusception in marijuana users.
- Published In:
- Journal of surgical case reports, 2020(9), rjaa335 (2020)
- Authors:
- Kakish, Daniel, Alaoudi, Marwan, Welch, Brian, Fan, David, Meghpara, Melissa, Mandava, Nageswara, Kumthekar, Narendra
- Database ID:
- RTHC-02639
Evidence Hierarchy
Describes what happened to one person or a small group.
What do these levels mean? →Frequently Asked Questions
What is intussusception?
A condition where one part of the intestine telescopes into an adjacent section, causing obstruction. In adults, it is rare and usually caused by a structural abnormality like a tumor.
How common is this complication?
Very rare overall. This case series identified 11 cases at one institution, but no population-level incidence data exists linking cannabis use to intussusception.
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Cite This Study
https://rethinkthc.com/research/RTHC-02639APA
Kakish, Daniel; Alaoudi, Marwan; Welch, Brian; Fan, David; Meghpara, Melissa; Mandava, Nageswara; Kumthekar, Narendra. (2020). Small bowel intussusception in marijuana users.. Journal of surgical case reports, 2020(9), rjaa335. https://doi.org/10.1093/jscr/rjaa335
MLA
Kakish, Daniel, et al. "Small bowel intussusception in marijuana users.." Journal of surgical case reports, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1093/jscr/rjaa335
RethinkTHC
RethinkTHC Research Database. "Small bowel intussusception in marijuana users." RTHC-02639. Retrieved from https://rethinkthc.com/research/kakish-2020-small-bowel-intussusception-in
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.