Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) said they studied the issue because they noticed more primary care patients ending up in the ER after using marijuana products.
“While we did expect to see an increase, just given the increase in the use of cannabis by older adults, the sharp increase, especially from 2013 to 2016, did surprise us,” said first study author Dr. Benjamin Han, a geriatrician in the Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology and Palliative Care at UCSD’s School of Medicine.
While people 65 and up were involved in only 366 cannabis-related ER visits in 2005, that number skyrocketed to 12,167 in 2019. The relative increase was 1,808%.
Older patients taking marijuana or related products may have dizziness and falls, heart palpitations, panic attacks, confusion, anxiety or worsening of underlying lung diseases, such as asthma or COPD, Han said.
One relatively rare condition is cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome, where the drug is associated with cyclic vomiting.
Older adults are at higher risk for adverse cannabis reactions, likely due to a combination of greater sensitivity and being unfamiliar with newer…
