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Emergency rooms across the United States are seeing a noticeable influx of habitual marijuana users – including teenagers – admitted with uncontrollable vomiting and bowel distress, a new study finds.
The disease, known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, has been particularly evident in the 17 states where marijuana is legalized, according to CNN.
“They twist, hold their stomachs, complain of very strong abdominal pain and nausea,” said Dr Sam Wang, pediatric emergency medicine specialist and toxicologist who treats adolescents with the disease in the hospital. for Colorado kids.
“They throw up and then keep throwing up whatever they have in their stomachs, which can go on for hours.”
“They often say they took a hot shower before coming to the emergency room, but that didn’t help. That’s when we know we can have a case of Cannabis Hyperemesis Syndrome, or CHS, ”Wang added.
The disease, known as cannabis hyperemesis syndrome, has been particularly evident in the 17 states where marijuana is legalized, according to CNN
Pictured: Marijuana legality map by state
The volume of SCH cases has skyrocketed over the years, with over 800,000 cases of vomiting reported in Colorado between 2013 and 2018, a 29% increase since marijuana was legalized in the state in 2012 , according to Wang’s analysis, which was published Friday in the medical journal JAMA Network Open.
And the study found that adolescents and young adults are particularly affected by the disease, with more than a third of cases of vomiting occurring in people 25 and under.
“It’s not an uncommon problem,” Wang said.
“When a teenager arrives with cyclical abdominal pain and vomiting, my colleagues know to ask questions about cannabis use. It is a fairly common practice to see this, diagnose it, and treat it.
Treatment for CHS usually consists of antinausea drugs and intravenous fluids to help treat dehydration caused by vomiting.
However, patients admitted for CHS must also undergo a series of tests to better identify the diagnosis, including CT scans, endoscopy, blood and urine tests, and gastric emptying tests, among others.
Dr Wang says that some of the young patients with SCH may be readmitted several times due to the disease, causing them to undergo such tests, which are often expensive and unpleasant.
“For some of our children, this is their fifth emergency room visit in the past two months, with symptoms they cannot control,” Wang said.
Healthcare professionals say patients who wait too long for treatment for this disease are potentially life threatening.
“Whether it’s cannabis hyperemesis syndrome or another virus that makes you vomit a lot, if you let it go too long you can have electrolyte disturbances, go into shock and have a failure. organic. CHS is no different, ”Wang said.
As more states pass laws to legalize recreational marijuana, the CHS problem could become even more prevalent, warns Dr. Wang.
A recent Pew survey found that 60% of American adults believe marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use.
In the United States, 17 states (and the District of Columbia) have legalized recreational marijuana for adults.
Meanwhile, three dozen states and several U.S. territories also have medical marijuana laws.
A recent survey by Pew found that 60% of American adults believe marijuana should be legal for both medical and recreational use.
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