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Link between marijuana smoking and early onset of lung disease
Date: 26-04-2006
Regular marijuana smokers are presenting with emphysema 25 years earlier on average than tobacco smokers, according to a new study.
The joint study was undertaken by The Alfred and Monash University and studied patients over 12 months.
Leading researcher Associate Professor Matthew Naughton, Head of General Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine at The Alfred, said the results were “surprising”.
“We were shocked when we saw the difference in the lung damage between marijuana smokers and tobacco smokers,” Matthew said.
The patients, aged between 28 and 50, presented with symptoms ranging from breathlessness to chest infection and spontaneous pneumothorax (a condition in which air is locked outside the lungs but within the chest wall). All were regular marijuana smokers.
Researchers found the patients had developed large cysts, or holes, in the upper and lower lobes of the lungs. In emphysema associated with tobacco smoking, smaller cysts usually occur in the apex of the lungs.
“We were shocked when we saw the degree to which the lung was damaged and the early age this was occurring,” Matthew said.
“There was a 5 to 10 fold difference in the size of the cysts. Larger cysts are more likely to cause health-related problems such as infection and breathlessness.”
The average age of tobacco smokers presenting with symptoms of emphysema in Australia is 65 whereas emphysema is developing at an average age of 40 in marijuana smokers.
Researchers believe the difference in the breathing manoeuvre and the different, unregulated chemicals in marijuana may be the reason for the early onset of emphysema in this patient group.
"Typical tobacco smokers use filter-tipped cigarettes and, while they may inhale the smoke, they do not hold it in their lungs for long periods," Matthew said.
"In contrast, marijuana is usually smoked in a water-filled pipe (also known as a bong) or a large cigarette without a filter, when the smoke is much hotter than cigarette smoke, and it is held in the chest for longer periods.
"Tobacco is also regulated in terms of its content and the amount of toxins, fungi or chemicals it contains, whereas marijuana grown in people's backyards or parklands is not subject to any such regulation.”
Standard breathing tests and chest X-rays can miss emphysema which may only be identified in high resolution CT scans.
“Bizarre CT scans in our patient group were the trigger alerting us to our findings,” Matthew said.
Marijuana is consumed regularly by 10 per cent of 21-year-olds and two per cent of middle-age people compared with tobacco, which is smoked by 25 per cent of adults. There is little data available on the long-term effect of marijuana on respiratory function.
“I suspect we are seeing the tip of the iceberg with this problem,” Matthew added.
The research was presented at the 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand at the Canberra National Convention Centre. International and local medical and scientific leaders attended the conference, which focused on advances in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases that affect millions of people.
http://www.alfred.org.au/articles/news/20060426143502_481.html
Date: 26-04-2006
Regular marijuana smokers are presenting with emphysema 25 years earlier on average than tobacco smokers, according to a new study.
The joint study was undertaken by The Alfred and Monash University and studied patients over 12 months.
Leading researcher Associate Professor Matthew Naughton, Head of General Respiratory and Sleep Medicine, Department of Allergy, Immunology and Respiratory Medicine at The Alfred, said the results were “surprising”.
“We were shocked when we saw the difference in the lung damage between marijuana smokers and tobacco smokers,” Matthew said.
The patients, aged between 28 and 50, presented with symptoms ranging from breathlessness to chest infection and spontaneous pneumothorax (a condition in which air is locked outside the lungs but within the chest wall). All were regular marijuana smokers.
Researchers found the patients had developed large cysts, or holes, in the upper and lower lobes of the lungs. In emphysema associated with tobacco smoking, smaller cysts usually occur in the apex of the lungs.
“We were shocked when we saw the degree to which the lung was damaged and the early age this was occurring,” Matthew said.
“There was a 5 to 10 fold difference in the size of the cysts. Larger cysts are more likely to cause health-related problems such as infection and breathlessness.”
The average age of tobacco smokers presenting with symptoms of emphysema in Australia is 65 whereas emphysema is developing at an average age of 40 in marijuana smokers.
Researchers believe the difference in the breathing manoeuvre and the different, unregulated chemicals in marijuana may be the reason for the early onset of emphysema in this patient group.
"Typical tobacco smokers use filter-tipped cigarettes and, while they may inhale the smoke, they do not hold it in their lungs for long periods," Matthew said.
"In contrast, marijuana is usually smoked in a water-filled pipe (also known as a bong) or a large cigarette without a filter, when the smoke is much hotter than cigarette smoke, and it is held in the chest for longer periods.
"Tobacco is also regulated in terms of its content and the amount of toxins, fungi or chemicals it contains, whereas marijuana grown in people's backyards or parklands is not subject to any such regulation.”
Standard breathing tests and chest X-rays can miss emphysema which may only be identified in high resolution CT scans.
“Bizarre CT scans in our patient group were the trigger alerting us to our findings,” Matthew said.
Marijuana is consumed regularly by 10 per cent of 21-year-olds and two per cent of middle-age people compared with tobacco, which is smoked by 25 per cent of adults. There is little data available on the long-term effect of marijuana on respiratory function.
“I suspect we are seeing the tip of the iceberg with this problem,” Matthew added.
The research was presented at the 2006 Annual Scientific Meeting of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand at the Canberra National Convention Centre. International and local medical and scientific leaders attended the conference, which focused on advances in the diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases that affect millions of people.
http://www.alfred.org.au/articles/news/20060426143502_481.html
