Smoking Marijuana May Be Worse for Lungs Than Smoking Cigarettes - SciTechDaily

Emphysema More Common successful Marijuana Smokers Than Cigarette Smokers

According to caller research, airway inflammation and emphysema are much communal successful marijuana smokers than cigaret smokers. Investigators said the quality whitethorn beryllium owed to the mode that marijuana is smoked and the information that marijuana fume enters the lungs unfiltered. The probe survey was published connected November 15 successful Radiology, a diary of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA).

Marijuana is the most-commonly smoked substance aft baccy and 1 of the astir wide utilized psychoactive substances successful the world. Amid the legalization of recreational marijuana successful Canada and galore states successful the U.S., its usage has accrued substantially successful caller years. With the increasing use, determination is an urgent request for accusation connected marijuana’s effects connected the lungs, thing that is presently lacking.

“We cognize what cigarettes bash to the lungs,” said survey writer Giselle Revah, M.D., a cardiothoracic radiologist and adjunct prof astatine the University of Ottawa successful Ottawa, Canada. “There are well-researched and established findings of cigaret smoking connected the lungs. Marijuana we cognize precise small about.”

To find retired more, Dr. Revah and colleagues compared thorax CT results from 56 marijuana smokers with those of 57 non-smoking controls and 33 tobacco-only smokers.

Three-quarters of the marijuana smokers had emphysema, a lung illness that causes trouble with breathing, compared with 67% of the tobacco-only smokers. Only 5% of the non-smokers had emphysema. Paraseptal emphysema, which damages the tiny ducts that link to the aerial sacs successful the lungs, was the predominant emphysema subtype successful marijuana smokers compared to the tobacco-only group.

Airway inflammation was besides much communal successful marijuana smokers than non-smokers and tobacco-only smokers. The aforesaid was existent for gynecomastia, a information of enlarged antheral bosom insubstantial owed to a hormone imbalance. Gynecomastia was recovered successful 38% of the marijuana smokers, compared with conscionable 11% of the tobacco-only smokers and 16% of the controls.

The researchers recovered akin results among age-matched subgroups, wherever the rates of emphysema and airway inflammation were again higher successful the marijuana smokers than the tobacco-only smokers.

There was nary quality successful coronary artery calcification betwixt age-matched marijuana and tobacco-only groups.

According to Dr. Revah, the results were surprising, particularly considering that the patients successful the tobacco-only radical had an extended smoking history.

“The information that our marijuana smokers—some of whom besides smoked tobacco—had further findings of airway inflammation/chronic bronchitis suggests that marijuana has further synergistic effects connected the lungs supra tobacco,” she said. “In addition, our results were inactive important erstwhile we compared the non-age-matched groups, including younger patients who smoked marijuana and who presumably had little beingness vulnerability to cigaret smoke.”

There are apt respective factors that lend to the differences betwixt the 2 groups. Marijuana is smoked unfiltered, Dr. Revah noted, portion baccy cigarettes are usually filtered. This results successful much particulates reaching the airways from smoking marijuana.

In addition, marijuana is inhaled with a longer enactment clasp and puff measurement than baccy smoke.

“It has been suggested that smoking a marijuana associated deposits 4 times much particulates successful the lung than an mean baccy cigarette,” Dr. Revah said. “These particulates are apt airway irritants.”

The higher incidence of emphysema whitethorn besides beryllium owed to the mode that marijuana is smoked. Full inhalation with a sustained Valsalva maneuver, an effort astatine exhalation against a closed airway, whitethorn pb to trauma and peripheral airspace changes.

More probe is needed, Dr. Revah said, with larger groups of radical and much information connected however overmuch and however often radical are smoking. Future probe could besides look astatine the interaction of antithetic inhalation techniques, specified arsenic done a bong, a joint, oregon a pipe.

“It would beryllium absorbing to spot if the inhalation method makes a difference,” Dr. Revah said.

For much connected this research, spot Emphysema More Common successful Marijuana Smokers Than Cigarette Smokers.

Reference: “Chest CT Findings successful Marijuana Smokers” by Luke Murtha, Paul Sathiadoss, Jean-Paul Salameh, Matthew D. F. Mcinnes and Giselle Revah, 15 November 2022, Radiology.
DOI: 10.1148/radiol.212611