Effects of Medical Cannabis on Patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease

Background: Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease, also known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, is a rare disease that affects 1 in 2,500 people. CMT can damage the nerves themselves or the myelin sheath surrounding them. CMT can cause symptoms such as neuropathic pain, weak ankles, claw-like hands, and muscle wasting in the extremities. Although treatments can help patients manage their symptoms, no known cure exists. In this study, we sought to determine the efficacy of using medical cannabis as a method of symptom relief in CMT patients. Methods: We collected patient-reported surveys through the Hereditary Neuropathy Foundation’s patient registry: Global Registry for Inherited Neuropathies. The online survey contained 52 multiple-choice questions. We analyzed the data through IBM SPSS and created figures through GraphPad Prism. The sample participants (N=56) consisted of 71.4% females. Ages ranged from 18 to 87. The majority (48.5%) were CMT1, 18.2% were CMT2, and 6.1% were CMT4. Results: Women were more likely to report experiencing pain than men (p<.05). Participants who perceived support from their providers were more likely to inform them of their cannabis use (p<.05). When asked about how much relief they experience from using cannabis as a method of symptom relief, respondents reported an average of 69.6% (SEM + 2.6) relief. Conclusion: Our results indicate that patients reported receiving substantial symptom relief from medical cannabis. Further prospective or controlled research is necessary to extend upon these findings.