Research Papers

@article{Brunet2013,
title = {Marijuana Smoking Does Not Accelerate Progression of Liver Disease in HIV–Hepatitis C Coinfection: A Longitudinal Cohort Analysis},
author = {Laurence Brunet and Erica E. M. Moodie and Kathleen C. Rollet-Kurhajec and Curtis Cooper and Sharon Walmsley and Martin Potter and Marina B. Klein},
url = {https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23811492},
doi = {10.1093/cid/cit378},
year = {2013},
date = {2013-09-14},
journal = {Clinical Infectious Diseases},
volume = {57},
number = {5},
pages = {663-670},
abstract = {BACKGROUND:
Marijuana smoking is common and believed to relieve many symptoms, but daily use has been associated with liver fibrosis in cross-sectional studies. We aimed to estimate the effect of marijuana smoking on liver disease progression in a Canadian prospective multicenter cohort of human immunodeficiency virus/hepatitis C virus (HIV/HCV) coinfected persons.
METHODS:
Data were analyzed for 690 HCV polymerase chain reaction positive (PCR-positive) individuals without significant fibrosis or end-stage liver disease (ESLD) at baseline. Time-updated Cox Proportional Hazards models were used to assess the association between the average number of joints smoked/week and progression to significant liver fibrosis (APRI ≥ 1.5), cirrhosis (APRI ≥ 2) or ESLD.
RESULTS:
At baseline, 53% had smoked marijuana in the past 6 months, consuming a median of 7 joints/week (IQR, 1-21); 40% smoked daily. There was no evidence that marijuana smoking accelerates progression to significant liver fibrosis (APRI ≥ 1.5) or cirrhosis (APRI ≥ 2; hazard ratio [HR]: 1.02 [0.93-1.12] and 0.99 [0.88-1.12], respectively). Each 10 additional joints/week smoked slightly increased the risk of progression to a clinical diagnosis of cirrhosis and ESLD combined (HR, 1.13 [1.01-1.28]). However, when exposure was lagged to 6-12 months before the diagnosis, marijuana was no longer associated with clinical disease progression (HR, 1.10 [0.95-1.26]).
CONCLUSIONS:
In this prospective analysis we found no evidence for an association between marijuana smoking and significant liver fibrosis progression in HIV/HCV coinfection. A slight increase in the hazard of cirrhosis and ESLD with higher intensity of marijuana smoking was attenuated after lagging marijuana exposure, suggesting that reverse causation due to self-medication could explain previous results.},
keywords = {Cannabis, Cohort study, HCV, HIV, Liver disease},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}