Individuals Using Cannabis for Inflammatory Arthritis Report Similar Symptoms Levels, but Worse Anxiety and Depression than Non-Users

Objectives The use of cannabis among individuals with rheumatologic conditions has gained increasing attention due to potential effects on pain, mood, and overall quality of life. However, data on its frequency of use, motivations, and patient-reported outcomes remain limited. We compared cannabis users and non-users by sociodemographic and arthritis characteristics and HRQL, and explored motivations for use, and assessed differences in HRQL among people with rheumatic diseases. Methods Data is from the baseline visit of a pilot study of people with inflammatory rheumatic diseases who volunteered for an internet-based intervention to improve sleep. Participants self-reported cannabis use, reasons for consumption, and completed the PROMIS-29 questionnaire (physical function, anxiety, depression, fatigue, sleep disturbance, pain interference, and social participation). Characteristics were compared between cannabis users and non-users using t-test and chi-square. Associations between cannabis use, demographics, and clinical characteristics were examined using multivariable regression. Results Our sample had a mean (SD) age of 54 (14) and all were female. Most had RA or PsA, with a mean disease duration of 10 (11) years; many also had OA (30%) (Table 1). One-third reported have used cannabis in the past year, and 24% in the past 3 months (of which 38% used weekly and 31% daily/almost daily). All participations indicated they were using for medicinal reasons only (100%), with primary motivations being to improve pain (19%), sleep (17%), fatigue (<5%) or anxiety (<5%). Nearly half (46%) reported a little improvement in arthritis symptoms with use, 15% reported a lot of improvement, 31% no change, and 8% were unsure. Users reported similar levels of physical function, pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and social participation, but significantly higher anxiety (p=.046) and depression (p=.014) than non-users. Table 1. Sociodemographics, arthritis characteristics, and mean PROMIS-29 scores by cannabis use in the past three months Conclusion One in 3 participants in an online intervention to improve sleep reported using cannabis in the past year to improve their arthritis symptoms, with nearly a quarter using cannabis regularly to improve pain, sleep, fatigue and anxiety. Users did not report different PROMIS-29 outcomes, although 61% reported a little to a lot of symptom improvement. Understanding the motivations and health impact of cannabis use can help guide patient counseling and future research on alternative management strategies for pain and mood disorders. Supported by a CIORA grant