Warning to weed smokers as cases of strange syndrome double READ MORE: 22 year old woman dies from cannabis-induced vomiting By MAIYA FOCHT HEALTH REPORTER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM Published: 21:55, 13 November 2024 | Updated: 22:01, 13 November 2024 e-mail 10 View comments The number of people going to the emergency room from a marijuana-induced illness has doubled since 2017, according to new research. The condition, called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), sends affected individuals to the hospital with a seemingly endless cycle of vomiting, nausea and abdominal pain that can last for a week and become life threatening due to extreme dehydration, seizures and kidney failure.
At home, people can often only find relief in a hot shower or bath, but in the hospital, anti-nausea drugs and IV- fluids can help treat the nausea, vomiting and dehydration. In June, a case study told the story of an anonymous 22-year-old Canadian woman, who after eight years of regular cannabis use, died from heart problems her doctors blamed on CHS. She had been to the doctor six times in the months before she passed away, with nausea and vomiting that had lasted for a week at a time.
At the time of her death, she was severely dehydrated and low in nutrients that regulated her heart's rhythm. Dr Maria Isabel Angulo, from the University of Illinois , published the report , saying CHS now affects an estimated 2.75million Americans each year, and the syndrome has increased the most in men between ages 1.