Association of Cannabis Use With Risk of Subsequent Falls Among Adults Aging With HIV
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Background Potential harms of preventable/modifiable use of substances, such as cannabis, among aging people with HIV (PWH) are unclear. We characterized longitudinal associations between current cannabis use and subsequent fall risk among aging PWH. Method Participants in the Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally (ACTG) A5322 study self-reported current cannabis use and any fall(s) annually and semiannually, respectively. Generalized linear models and inverse probability weighting were used to assess associations between cannabis use and subsequent fall risk, adjusting for baseline covariates (age, sex assigned at birth, and race/ethnicity), time-varying confounders, and study attrition. Results Among 957 participants (median age, 51 years), 18.2% reported current cannabis use at baseline; 18.6% reported falling in the first year of the longitudinal study. Current cannabis use was associated with moderate risk of any falls in the following year in baseline covariate-adjusted analysis (risk ratio [RR], 1.27 95% CI, 1.02, 1.57; P = .029), but not in analyses additionally adjusted for fall history, nonprescribed psychoactive substance use, psychotropic and analgesic medication use, heavy alcohol use, peripheral neuropathy, and cigarette smoking status (adjusted RR, 1.11 [95% CI, .83, 1.49]; P = .49). Cigarette smoking status was the main variable that attenuated the association between falls and cannabis use. Conclusions Among aging PWH, the association between current cannabis use and fall risk was primarily confounded by cigarette smoking status. Future studies should incorporate more granular cannabis use data on falls risk, including cannabis composition or strain and dose.
Source: Open Forum Infectious Diseases
DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofag417
Institutions: Tulane University, Harvard University, Oregon National Primate Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, University of Utah, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York State Psychiatric Institute, Columbia University, University of Chicago, University of California San Diego, AIDS Clinical Trials Group, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, University of Colorado Anschutz
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $4,053
Awards: AIDS Clinical Trials Group Network, G4371472869, University of Pittsburgh Clinical Trials Unit, Statistical and Data Management Center for the AIDS Clinical Trials Group, G9000039438, G9000280138, G9000292181, UCSD Collaborative Clinical Trials Unit, Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally for HIV/AIDS and Other Infections, AIDS Clinical Trial Group Laboratory Center, Statistical and Data Management Center (SDMC), Advancing Clinical Therapeutics Globally for HIV/AIDS and Other Infections (ACTG), Pitt-Ohio State Clinical Trials Unit
OpenAlex ID: W7202159682