The use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series
Abstract Background Medical cannabis may be a useful tool for managing treatment-resistant epilepsy and chronic pain, which affect many patients in pediatric palliative care (PPC); however, little evidence is available in this setting. Case presentation We aimed to describe a clinical experience in...
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2021
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oai:doaj.org-article:fed06c3d4567484cb787102db4cc77a72021-11-28T12:41:21ZThe use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series10.1186/s13052-021-01179-11824-7288https://doaj.org/article/fed06c3d4567484cb787102db4cc77a72021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://doi.org/10.1186/s13052-021-01179-1https://doaj.org/toc/1824-7288Abstract Background Medical cannabis may be a useful tool for managing treatment-resistant epilepsy and chronic pain, which affect many patients in pediatric palliative care (PPC); however, little evidence is available in this setting. Case presentation We aimed to describe a clinical experience in a setting where high-level evidence may not be obtained. We report our clinical experience in a pediatric palliative care department in Italy. Caregivers reported changes in intensity and frequency of pain and epilepsy events. Six patients received a titrated plant extract of cannabis sativa for 1 year. Only mild and transient adverse events occurred: drowsiness, euphoria, restlessness and tachycardia; the resolution was either spontaneous or obtained by modifying the administration schedule. Treatment was never discontinued. No overdoses occurred. All patients experienced seizures during the pre-treatment observation period, and obtained a reduction in seizure frequency, although with variable extent while receiving cannabis. In addition, a benefit on pain was observed, based on the caregiver’s evaluation, and a reduction of analgesic use. Conclusion Our experience suggests that a titrated plant extract preparation of medical cannabis may be useful to control treatment-resistant pain and epilepsy in PPC patients.Antuan DivisicIrene AvagninaValentina De TommasiAnna SantiniLaura BrogelliLuca GiacomelliFranca BeniniBMCarticlecannabisD9-tetrahydrocannabinolCannabidiolPediatric palliative carePediatricsRJ1-570ENItalian Journal of Pediatrics, Vol 47, Iss 1, Pp 1-10 (2021) |
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cannabis D9-tetrahydrocannabinol Cannabidiol Pediatric palliative care Pediatrics RJ1-570 |
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cannabis D9-tetrahydrocannabinol Cannabidiol Pediatric palliative care Pediatrics RJ1-570 Antuan Divisic Irene Avagnina Valentina De Tommasi Anna Santini Laura Brogelli Luca Giacomelli Franca Benini The use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series |
description |
Abstract Background Medical cannabis may be a useful tool for managing treatment-resistant epilepsy and chronic pain, which affect many patients in pediatric palliative care (PPC); however, little evidence is available in this setting. Case presentation We aimed to describe a clinical experience in a setting where high-level evidence may not be obtained. We report our clinical experience in a pediatric palliative care department in Italy. Caregivers reported changes in intensity and frequency of pain and epilepsy events. Six patients received a titrated plant extract of cannabis sativa for 1 year. Only mild and transient adverse events occurred: drowsiness, euphoria, restlessness and tachycardia; the resolution was either spontaneous or obtained by modifying the administration schedule. Treatment was never discontinued. No overdoses occurred. All patients experienced seizures during the pre-treatment observation period, and obtained a reduction in seizure frequency, although with variable extent while receiving cannabis. In addition, a benefit on pain was observed, based on the caregiver’s evaluation, and a reduction of analgesic use. Conclusion Our experience suggests that a titrated plant extract preparation of medical cannabis may be useful to control treatment-resistant pain and epilepsy in PPC patients. |
format |
article |
author |
Antuan Divisic Irene Avagnina Valentina De Tommasi Anna Santini Laura Brogelli Luca Giacomelli Franca Benini |
author_facet |
Antuan Divisic Irene Avagnina Valentina De Tommasi Anna Santini Laura Brogelli Luca Giacomelli Franca Benini |
author_sort |
Antuan Divisic |
title |
The use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series |
title_short |
The use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series |
title_full |
The use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series |
title_fullStr |
The use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series |
title_full_unstemmed |
The use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series |
title_sort |
use of medical cannabis in pediatric palliative care: a case series |
publisher |
BMC |
publishDate |
2021 |
url |
https://doaj.org/article/fed06c3d4567484cb787102db4cc77a7 |
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