Hypertension is one of the many health problems that often affect people over 60. Constant pressure monitoring goes hand in hand with therapy that aims to restore the proper parameters. Hypertension can be manifested by shortness of breath, hot flush, excessive sweating, palpitations, and dizziness and headaches, and if left untreated it can lead to damage to blood vessels, stroke, infarction and heart failure.
Research published in the European Journal of Internal Medicine proves that cannabis positively influences the normalization of blood pressure in elderly people who have so far used therapies to treat hypertension. A study published titled "Cannabis Associated with Lowering Blood Pressure in Elderly: A 24-Hour Outpatient Blood Pressure Monitoring Study" found significant reductions in blood pressure in people 60 years of age and older who had used cannabis to treat unrelated conditions for a period three months. The author of the study, Ran Abuhasira, in an interview with Health Europa magazine admitted that the main aim of the study was to assess the safety of cannabis use in the elderly. The discovery of such a significant effect of cannabis on the pressure of patients who have so far struggled with hypertension was accidental. The key conclusion from this study, as well as from other studies we did in this area, was that cannabis is safe for medical use in elderly people with hypertension.
Elderly people are increasingly turning to cannabis-based therapies. According to the author of the study, “the main reason for this is the indication profile for which we give cannabis as a treatment, especially for pain. Many older people suffer from chronic pain for a variety of reasons; and prescribing cannabis as a pain reliever is becoming more common as patients age. There has been an increase in general acceptance of cannabis-based treatments in many countries, which means older adults are now more likely to try medicinal marijuana. In addition, because older adults tend to suffer from more diseases and conditions, they are more likely to be considered in the trial of new and emerging therapies. I believe that cannabis-based drugs should be viewed in the same way as any other treatment offered in the medical sector, with recognized pros and cons, and that we should weigh the pros and cons of cannabis-based treatments on an individual basis for each patient. "
The study was conducted in a clinical group consisting of patients 60 years of age and older. Before starting the study, 24-hour ambulatory monitoring of parameters such as ECG, blood pressure and anthropometric measurements was performed and compared with the results obtained after 3 months of treatment. The study was completed by 26 patients with a mean age of 70.42 ± 5.37 years, 53.8% women. After 3 months of observation, the mean daily systolic and diastolic blood pressure decreased by 5.0 mmHg and 4.5 mmHg, respectively (p <0.001 for both). Nadir blood pressure and heart rate were reached 3 hours after administration.
An interview with the author of the study is available at the link below
https://www.healtheuropa.eu/treating-hypertension-with-cannabis/107692/
The study "Cannabis is associated with blood pressure reduction in older adults - A 24-hours ambulatory blood pressure monitoring study"
https://www.ejinme.com/article/S0953-6205(21)00005-4/fulltext
