ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Cannabinoids are approved for spasticity and pain in multiple sclerosis (MS). In 2017 the prevalence of current users in the Italian general population was 10.2%, while data on Italian MS patients are limited. METHODS: From March 2022 to February 2023, we conducted a multicenter, cross-sectional study. Adult MS patients completed an anonymous online survey. The primary outcome was the estimated prevalence of unprescribed cannabis current use. Cannabis use patterns and associations with clinical and socio-demographical variables were investigated. The binomial method was used to estimate 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for primary outcome. RESULTS: 5620 patients were invited and 2024 (36.0%) were included (mean age 45.2 years, females 64.5%). Relapsing remitting form was the most frequent (77.3%). Median expanded disability status scale (EDSS) was 2.0. The proportion of current users was 15.5% (95% CI 13.9-17.1) and 36.4% of them disclosed to their physician their unprescribed cannabis use. 15.0% patients were former users while 69.5% never used cannabis. Current users more frequently reported a medical use (i.e., current medical users) compared to former users (p < 0.001). 41.1% of never users would use cannabis if it was legal. Young age, being male, and a free marital status were associated with current use. Current medical users had higher disability, spasticity and pain, reduced quality of life, concomitant neurological/psychiatric drugs and analgesics use. Unprescribed cannabis appeared relatively safe, with limited addiction risk, and reported clinical benefits, including concomitant medications reduction. CONCLUSION: Unprescribed cannabis use is common in patients with MS in Italy, with observed prevalence seemingly superior to the general population, often intended for medical use and without the disclosure to the treating physician, although with potential clinical benefits.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD) encompasses different neurological phenotypes, ranging from the most severe cerebral forms (C-ALD) to the less severe adrenomyeloneuropathy (AMN). As visual system can be varyingly involved, we aimed at exploring whether optical coherence tomography (OCT) may detect retinal abnormalities and their longitudinal changes in adult ALD patients. METHODS: In this cross-sectional and longitudinal study, we measured the thicknesses of peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL), macular ganglion cell complex (mGCC), and segmented inner and outer macula at baseline and their changes over time in 11 symptomatic adult ALD males and 10 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Statistical analyses were performed for the patients as complete group, and splitting them into two subgroups, one (C-ALD) with and the other (AMN) without cerebral parieto-occipital white matter (WM) lesions. RESULTS: In the complete ALD group and in the C-ALD subgroup, the average pRNFL, mGCC, and inner macula were significantly thinner than in controls (p ≤ 0.01), whereas in the AMN subgroup, they were constantly, though non-significantly, thinner. Significant outer macula thinning was also observed (p < 0.01). In the complete ALD group, follow-up assessment (mean 26.8 months, range 8-48) showed mildly progressive thinning of inferior pRNFL, average mGCC, and inner macula. CONCLUSIONS: In adult ALD patients, OCT can reveal retinal abnormalities which are prominent in the more compromised patients, namely those with parieto-occipital WM lesions. The inferior pRNFL, average mGCC and inner macula thicknesses might be sensitive-to-change OCT parameters, but their utility and consistency for short-term longitudinal studies deserve further investigations.
