Anxiety disorders following ED visits due to cannabis use

Excerpt

Emergency department (ED) visits due to cannabis (marijuana) use are associated with an increased risk of healthcare visits for anxiety disorders, according to findings of a Canadian study published in eClinicalMedicine .Health administrative data from January 2008 to March 2019 in Ontario, Canada, were used to investigate the risk of having an incident ED or hospital visit for an anxiety disorder (including panic disorder) after an incident ED visit due to cannabis use. The study included over 12 million people 10–105 years of age who had received no previous ED or hospital care for an anxiety disorder; 34 822 (0.29%) of these people had an ED visit due to cannabis use.Significantly more patients had an ED visit or were hospitalised for an anxiety disorder within 3-years after an ED visit due to cannabis use, compared with the general population (12.3% vs 1.2%; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 3.69; 95% CI 3.57, 3.82). Furthermore, 27.5% of patients had an outpatient visit, ED visit or hospitalisation for an anxiety disorder after an ED visit due to cannabis use.The risk of having a healthcare visit for an anxiety disorder was increased after ED visits for cannabis use in both males and females, and across all age groups, but the risk compared with the general population was higher in younger males (aHR 5.67; 95% CI 5.19, 6.21) than in younger women (aHR 3.22; 95% CI 2.95, 3.52)."This cohort study found having an ED visit due to cannabis use was associated with an increased risk of requiring hospital-based care for anxiety and being diagnosed with an incident anxiety disorder," said the authors. "These findings have important implications given global increases in cannabis use and potency, along with increasing trends toward the legalization and commercialization of medical and non-medical cannabis," they commented. …