Home > The medical use of cannabis for reducing morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV/AIDS.

Lutge, Elizabeth L and Gray, Andy and Siegfried, Nandi (2013) The medical use of cannabis for reducing morbidity and mortality in patients with HIV/AIDS. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, (4), Art. No.: CD005175. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD005175.pub3.

External website: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/1465185...

The use of cannabis (marijuana), its active ingredient or synthetic forms such as dronabinol has been advocated in patients with HIV/AIDS, in order to improve the appetite, promote weight gain and lift mood. Dronabinol has been registered for the treatment of AIDS-associated anorexia in some countries. However, the evidence for positive effects in patients with HIV/AIDS is limited, and some of that which exists may be subject to the effects of bias. Those studies that have been performed have included small numbers of participants and have focused on short-term effects. Longer-term data, and data showing a benefit in terms of survival, are lacking. There are insufficient data available at present to justify wide-ranging changes to the current regulatory status of cannabis or synthetic cannabinoids.


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