Sinonasal Symptoms Less Common in Regular Cannabis Users

THURSDAY, Aug. 4, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The prevalence of sinonasal symptoms is lower among regular cannabis users than nonusers, according to a study published online July 28 in JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery.

Francis Reyes Orozco, from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, and colleagues used data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013 to 2014) to examine the association between cannabis use and presence of sinonasal symptoms in 2,269 adults aged 20 to 69 years.

The researchers found that the prevalence of sinonasal symptoms among regular cannabis users (45.0 percent) was lower than the prevalence among never users (64.5 percent). Regular cannabis users were less likely to have sinonasal symptoms versus adults who had never used cannabis (odds ratio, 0.22), while current tobacco smokers were more likely to have sinonasal symptoms (odds ratio, 1.96). Nasal congestion (62.8 percent) and change in smell (17.8 percent) were the most common sinonasal symptoms reported.

"Understanding the association between cannabis use and sinonasal symptoms may enable health care clinicians to better counsel patients on the possible effects of cannabis use," the authors write.

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