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ABSTRACT
Marijuana is the most widely used psychoactive drug all over the world, with an estimate users of over 188 million which is equivalent to 2.5% of the world population. Yet the immunosuppressive effect of marijuana consumption has not been robustly evaluated. The aim of this study was to determine the immune status of marijuana smokers. The study participants comprised of 60 marijuana smokers and 60 non-marijuana/cigarrete smokers of similar age group. A wellstructured questionnaire was use to obtain the demographic and anthropometric data of the subjects. Serum C- reactive proteins was determined by Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Full Blood Count (FBC) was analyzed using automated haematology Analyzer. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocytes-to-lymphocyte ratio (MLR) were calculated. Data were analyzed and compared between marijuana smokers and controls using appropriate statistical tool. Total white blood cell count (4.62±0.99 vs 6.06±1.12), neutrophil (2.34±0.67 vs 2.96±0.94), monocyte (0.31±0.11 vs 0.48±0.14), hsCRP (1.12±0.32 vs 2.19±0.44), and NLR (0.63±0.01 vs 1.29±0.02) were significantly lower (p<0.05) among marijuana smokers than controls. Conversely, lymphocyte count (3.70±0.62 vs 2.99±0.72) and platelet count (392.87±0.00 vs 237±0.01) were significantly higher (p<0.05) among marijuana smokers than non-marijuana smokers. There was no significant difference in the PLR and MLR when compared with controls. Serum hs-CRP correlated positively with NLR, and NLR (AUC=0.742) and MLR (AUC=0.731) closely associated with hs CRP among marijuana smokers. Marijuana consumption may be a risk factor for predisposing consumers to immune suppression. Therefore, a public awareness is required to enlighten young adults about the danger of marijuana consumption.
