The Respiratory Harms of Cannabis

Our study reviews the respiratory harms of pure cannabis consumption in our context. It was conducted in the Pulmonology Department of 20 August Hospital and covers the period from January 2012 to March 2022. A total of 18 cases of pure cannabis users, aged between 26 and 76 years (average age 58 years), all male, were included in our analysis among 120 patients seen in COPD consultations. Clinically, pleuro-pulmonary history and comorbidities were reported in 36% and 29% of cases, respectively. All patients were symptomatic, with dyspnea being the main symptom (100%). Various paraclinical examinations helped characterize the different identified pathological entities: 10 cases of cancer, 5 cases of COPD, and one case with both cancer and COPD. Cannabis cessation, the first step in treatment, was successful in 75% of cases. All our patients received awareness sessions during their hospitalization, and 12 of them benefited from additional follow-up in addiction consultations. Medical treatment included intensive respiratory physiotherapy, appropriate antibiotic therapy, and improvement of the patient's nutritional status. Specific treatment involved a total of 10 patients undergoing surgery or receiving palliative care. One patient in this subgroup was lost to follow-up. Unfortunately, 8 patients from our cohort passed away, while two cases, both from the COPD subgroup, showed good progression.