Cannabis sativa as a possible treatment for alleviating both motor and nonmotor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease: A meta-analysis

• Main Authors: DeVera, Lucy R., Pacaña, Arcadia Marie Q.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: Parkinson's disease; Cannabis > Treatment; Biology
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/etdb_bio/25; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/etdb_bio/article/1026/viewcontent/2023_DeVera_Pacana_Cannabis_sativa_as_a_possible_treatment_for_alleviating_Full_text.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder and has a significant impact on the quality of life as it constitutes a wide-ranging complication. There is no known cure other than medications for the management of symptoms. The growing interest in using cannabis-derived medications has led to an increased demand for therapeutic evidence of Cannabis sativa for the potential to counteract oxidative cell damage and neuroinflammation. Therefore, the purpose of the study is to determine the treatment effect of the intervention and add to the existing knowledge on the effect of medical cannabis on both motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease by conducting a comprehensive meta-analysis. The literature search was conducted using five (5) online databases and in compliance with PRISMA-2020 guidelines and protocol. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the effect of medical cannabis on the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease were eligible. The literature was assessed for bias using Cochrane’s Risk of Bias Tool. The analysis was performed with the total Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) as the primary outcome and subscale scores as secondary outcomes. Data were analyzed using the Cochrane Collaboration's RevMan 5.4, where the standardized mean difference was estimated with a 95% confidence interval. In addition, heterogeneity was tested through Cochran’s Q-statistic, I-squared, and tau-squared values. Three (3) RCTs involving 88 PD patients were eligible for the analysis; all are defined with a low risk of bias. Although the findings of this study showed that the use of cannabis-based medications might benefit in alleviating the motor and nonmotor symptoms of patients with Parkinson’s Disease based on the primary outcome (pooled SMD: -0.18, 95% CI −0.68 to 0.32; p = 0.48), there is still insufficient evidence to support its therapeutic potential. Given the limited nature of the available literature, further investigation is needed for future studies.