Findings published last month in Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery has shown a potential link between cannabis usage and thyroid eye disease (TED) in patients with autoimmune hyperthyroidism.
A cohort study utilizing electronic health records examined 36,186 patients over a 20-year period, comparing outcomes among cannabis users, nicotine users, and control patients. The findings showed cannabis users were 1.9 times more likely to develop exophthalmos and 1.6 times more likely to exhibit any TED presentation within one year of diagnosis compared to control patients. Interestingly, cannabis users tended to be younger, male, and Black/African American, with higher rates of anxiety or depression.
While these results suggest a significant increased risk for TED in cannabis users, it's important to note the differences did not remain statistically significant over a two-year period. This underscores the need for further research to improve our approach with TED management strategies in our patients who use cannabis.
-JRM
Go to the article in Ophthalmic Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery
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