S1629 Impact of Marijuana Use in Crohn’s Disease Hospitalizations and Readmissions: A Propensity-Matched Study Using National Readmission Database 2018-2021

Introduction: Crohn’s disease is a chronic inflammatory disorder that can involve any segment of the gastrointestinal tract and remains a leading cause of gastrointestinal-related hospitalizations. Recent studies have reported a rising trend in marijuana use among individuals with Crohn’s disease, primarily for symptom management. This study aims to assess hospitalization outcomes and readmission rates in patients with Crohn’s disease who use marijuana. Methods: This is a retrospective analysis using data from the National Readmission Database (NRD) for the years 2018-2020. The study included all patients aged over 18 years who were admitted for Crohn’s disease, stratified into 2 groups based on marijuana use. Primary were mortality and the all-cause 30-day readmission rate. Secondary outcomes included length of stay (LOS), total hospitalization charges, sepsis, shock, AKI, lower gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and colonoscopy. A multivariate regression model was employed to evaluate outcomes between the 2 cohorts, adjusting for potential confounders. To further mitigate confounding bias, propensity scores were estimated using relevant baseline covariates and outcomes were analyzed. A P-value of < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: Out of 162974 Crohn’s disease admissions, 6887(4.22%) patients used marijuana. Crohn’s disease patient with marijuana use were found to be younger [36 vs 45, P < 0.001]. Compared to control group, marijuana use cohort was associated with a lower odd of mortality [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.22, P = 0.045] and shock [aOR = 0.26, P = 0.004]. Marijuana cohort was associated with shorter length of stay[adjusted coefficient = -0.52, P < 0.001] compared to control group. There was no significant difference between 2 groups in readmission, AKI, sepsis, lower GI bleeding Statistically significant independent predictors of 30-day all-cause readmissions for Crohn’s disease were age, Charlson comorbidity index, median income, John Hopkins ACG frailty, AKI, and colonoscopy. Conclusion: Our study results were associated with lower odds of inpatient mortality, shock and lower length of stay among marijuana use patients in crohn’s disease. While this study provides interesting insight into the hospitalization outcomes and readmissions among crohn’s disease patient, further research is needed to validate this study findings.