Tetrahydrocannabinol in Pediatrics: Room for Improvement?
Introduction: The use of medical cannabis in pediatrics is not common in clinical practice, and there is a lack of prospective studies, especially in pediatric subpopulations. This study aimed to provide data on the off-label administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC) in a pediatric tertiary ce...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Karger Publishers
2023-10-01
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| Series: | Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://beta.karger.com/Article/FullText/533607 |
| _version_ | 1797626818728034304 |
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| author | Charlotte De Gier Christian Scharinger Rosa H. Stark Philipp Steurer Claudia M. Klier |
| author_facet | Charlotte De Gier Christian Scharinger Rosa H. Stark Philipp Steurer Claudia M. Klier |
| author_sort | Charlotte De Gier |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction: The use of medical cannabis in pediatrics is not common in clinical practice, and there is a lack of prospective studies, especially in pediatric subpopulations. This study aimed to provide data on the off-label administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC) in a pediatric tertiary center in Austria. Methods: A retrospective data analysis was performed to assess the use of ∆9-THC at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Comprehensive Center of Pediatrics (Medical University Vienna) from 2016 to 2018. The use of ∆9-THC in the Pediatric Department at the Medical University Vienna between 2016 and 2018 was analyzed using a retrospective design. Results: The most common diagnoses of patients receiving ∆9-THC were brain cancer and genetic diseases, including inborn metabolic disorders. The 32 patients who had received ∆9-THC had an arithmetic mean of 9.42 diagnoses and were treated with an arithmetic mean of 13.52 other drugs. Eleven of the 32 patients died by the end of the study period, indicating palliative use. Conclusion: The data shows that only severely ill patients were treated with ∆9-THC. A lack of information on the drug’s indications, duration, and dosage was noticed in the files, which could represent problems for patient safety. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:15:36Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-40c3534752e541e2a0a6cbc25767054b |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2504-3889 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T10:15:36Z |
| publishDate | 2023-10-01 |
| publisher | Karger Publishers |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids |
| spelling | doaj.art-40c3534752e541e2a0a6cbc25767054b2023-11-16T07:58:21ZengKarger PublishersMedical Cannabis and Cannabinoids2504-38892023-10-016112512910.1159/000533607533607Tetrahydrocannabinol in Pediatrics: Room for Improvement?Charlotte De Gier0Christian Scharinger1Rosa H. Stark2Philipp Steurer3Claudia M. Klier4Clinical Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergology and Endocrinology, Department for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaClinical Division of Pediatric Psychosomatics, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaClinical Division of Pediatric Psychosomatics, Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, AustriaIntroduction: The use of medical cannabis in pediatrics is not common in clinical practice, and there is a lack of prospective studies, especially in pediatric subpopulations. This study aimed to provide data on the off-label administration of tetrahydrocannabinol (∆9-THC) in a pediatric tertiary center in Austria. Methods: A retrospective data analysis was performed to assess the use of ∆9-THC at the Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at the Comprehensive Center of Pediatrics (Medical University Vienna) from 2016 to 2018. The use of ∆9-THC in the Pediatric Department at the Medical University Vienna between 2016 and 2018 was analyzed using a retrospective design. Results: The most common diagnoses of patients receiving ∆9-THC were brain cancer and genetic diseases, including inborn metabolic disorders. The 32 patients who had received ∆9-THC had an arithmetic mean of 9.42 diagnoses and were treated with an arithmetic mean of 13.52 other drugs. Eleven of the 32 patients died by the end of the study period, indicating palliative use. Conclusion: The data shows that only severely ill patients were treated with ∆9-THC. A lack of information on the drug’s indications, duration, and dosage was noticed in the files, which could represent problems for patient safety.https://beta.karger.com/Article/FullText/533607medical cannabis∆9-tetrahydrocannabinolpediatricsevaluationpatient safetypalliative care |
| spellingShingle | Charlotte De Gier Christian Scharinger Rosa H. Stark Philipp Steurer Claudia M. Klier Tetrahydrocannabinol in Pediatrics: Room for Improvement? Medical Cannabis and Cannabinoids medical cannabis ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol pediatrics evaluation patient safety palliative care |
| title | Tetrahydrocannabinol in Pediatrics: Room for Improvement? |
| title_full | Tetrahydrocannabinol in Pediatrics: Room for Improvement? |
| title_fullStr | Tetrahydrocannabinol in Pediatrics: Room for Improvement? |
| title_full_unstemmed | Tetrahydrocannabinol in Pediatrics: Room for Improvement? |
| title_short | Tetrahydrocannabinol in Pediatrics: Room for Improvement? |
| title_sort | tetrahydrocannabinol in pediatrics room for improvement |
| topic | medical cannabis ∆9-tetrahydrocannabinol pediatrics evaluation patient safety palliative care |
| url | https://beta.karger.com/Article/FullText/533607 |
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