Abstract
Introduction
Parkinson’s Disease is the second most common neurogenerative disorder and has a pervasive effect on health-related quality of life. There is increasing evidence of the importance of the endocannabinoid system in pre-clinical models of disease. However, there is a paucity of clinical evidence on cannabis-based medicinal products (CBMPs) in Parkinson’s Disease. This study presents a preliminary analysis of those with Parkinson’s Disease enrolled in the UK Medical Cannabis Registry (UKMCR). Method Patients prescribed CBMPs for Parkinson’s Disease symptoms for longer than one month were identified from the UKMCR. The primary outcomes were changes from baseline in Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 (PDQ-39), Generalised Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), Single-Item Sleep Quality Scale (SQS), and EQ-5D-5L scales at one month. p<0.050 was defined as statistically significant.
Results
Thirty-four patients were identified from the UKMCR that met the inclusion criteria. Twenty (58.82%) patients were male, and the mean age was 66.76 ± 11.60 years. The median Charlson co-morbidity index score was 5.00 (IQR: 3.00-6.00). There was a significant improvement at one month follow up in the EQ-5D-5L index value, as well as the pain and discomfort, and usual activities domains (p<0.050). There was no significant change at one month in the PDQ-39, GAD-7 or SQS measures (p>0.050). Twelve adverse events were reported by two (5.88%) participants. The majority of adverse events were mild (n=7; 20.59%) or moderate (n=3; 8.82%). There were no life-threatening adverse events.
Conclusions
This preliminary analysis demonstrates a possible association with improved general health-related quality of life secondary to improvements in the ability to perform usual activities, as well as pain in those with Parkinson’s Disease. Moreover, the results suggest that CBMPs are well-tolerated in the first month of treatment. However, this must be interpreted with caution considering the small sample size, length of follow-up and the limitations of observational study design.