PII-123 - A STUDY ON THE PREVALENCE OF CHRONIC CANNABINOID USE INDUCING HYPEREMESIS SYNDROME

K. Hasan¹, V. Connelly¹; ¹Physician Assistant Department, University of Maryland Eastern Shore, MD, United States.

Background: In emergency rooms, frequent cannabis users often suffer from chronic cyclic vomiting, leading to higher healthcare costs and repeat visits. This study aims to explore Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome (CHS) frequency among chronic cannabis users, examining demographic variations including age, gender, ethnicity, duration, and frequency of use of cannabis.

Methods: A public anonymous survey was conducted via social media platforms to gather data on CHS. Following completion, the collected data was analyzed using StatView software, and a Chi-Square test was employed to analyze numerical data.

Results: Fifty-seven participants completed the surveys. Over 55% fall within the age range of 25 to 35 years, with approximately 25% aged between 18 and 24. Most participants (74%) exhibited no symptoms of CHS, while 26% experienced CHS symptoms. Statistical analysis revealed no significant variations among ethnic groups (p-value 0.46). Examining the differences across age groups (18 - > 55 years), findings indicate that there were no significant differences in CHS prevalence among most age groups (p-value 0.11). This study found no statistically significant variances among genders (male, female, non-binary, prefer not to say) (p-value 0.8). By investigating the influence of duration use ( < 1 year, 1-3 years, 4-6 years, 7-10 years, >10 years), this study revealed no statistically significant variances among individuals categorized based on their duration of cannabis use (p-value 0.49). However, when examining the impact of cannabis frequency use on CHS, the data revealed that participants who use cannabis daily showed a significant increase in CHS occurrence (50%) compared to other groups: 2-3 times per week (0.0%), 4 – 6 times per week (0.0%), and once per week (17%), (p-value 0.0007).

Conclusion: This study found no significant associations between CHS and demographic factors such as age, gender, ethnicity, or duration of marijuana use. However, it highlights a higher occurrence of CHS among participants who used cannabis daily compared to those who less frequently used it. These findings suggest that CHS may not be strongly influenced by these demographic variables in this population. Further research is needed to understand the underlying factors contributing to CHS development.