Medical marijuana (marijuana) may offer a promising option for chronic itch sufferers, according to a new case study.

Chronic pruritus – clinically known as chronic pruritus – is characterized by a relentless and sometimes debilitating sensation of itching, and it often reduces the quality of life of people with the condition.

Treating the disease has proven difficult because there are few FDA-approved therapies.

“chronic itching It can be a particularly difficult disease to treat, and off-label treatments are often used, said Shawn Kwatra, assistant professor of dermatology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. “along with increase profit Medical marijuana and what we know about the role of the endocannabinoid system [a complex cell-signaling system that regulates a variety of functions in the body] In chronic pruritus, we decided to try medical marijuana in a patient who had failed multiple treatments and had few options. “

Kwatra and colleagues examined an African American woman in her 60s with a 10-year history of chronic pruritus. The patient initially complained of extreme itching in her arms, legs, and stomach when she first arrived at the Johns Hopkins Itching Center. Skin examination revealed many hyperpigmented, raised skin lesions. The patient tried several treatments—including systemic therapy, centrally-acting nasal sprays, steroid creams, and phototherapy—but all failed.

Quatra said, using medical marijuana — whether through smoking or in liquid form — provided women with almost instantaneous improvements.

“We had the patient rate her symptoms using a numerical rating scale, where 10 was the worst itching and zero was no itching at all,” Kwatra said. “She started at age 10, but dropped to age 4 within 10 minutes of her initial use of medical marijuana. With continued marijuana use, the patient’s itching disappeared completely.”

Researchers believe that one of the active ingredients in medical marijuana, THC – commonly known as its acronym THC — Attaches to brain receptors that affect the nervous system. When this happens, inflammation and nervous system activity are reduced, which can also lead to reduced skin sensations, such as itching.

Although no conclusive studies have been conducted to validate that medical marijuana is an effective measure for relieving previously uncontrollable itching, Kwatra believes it deserves further clinical trials.

“Controlled studies are needed to determine the dose, efficacy and safety of medical cannabis for various human itch subtypes, and once these studies are conducted, we will better understand which patients are most likely to benefit from this therapy,” he said. .

_{A report on the new findings appears in JAMA Dermatology. Source: Johns Hopkins University. original research DOI: 10.1001/jamadermatol.2021.1194.This article is shared under the Attribution 4.0 International license; originally published on future.}