Marijuana smoking as cause of reduction in single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity
Tilles, D.S.; Goldenheim, P.D.; Johnson, D.C.; Mendelson, J.H.; Mello, N.K.; Hales, C.A.
American Journal of Medicine 80(4): 601-606
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0002-9343 PMID: 3963040 Document Number: 282183
To investigate the effects of chronic marijuana smoking on lung function, pulmonary function tests including single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacities were performed in 15 healthy women who smoked 1.7 .+-. 1.4 (mean .+-. SD) marijuana cigarettes per day for 235 .+-. 135 days per year for a mean of 10.5 .+-. 3.7 years. Control groups included 27 nonsmoking and 26 tobacco-smoking women. Results revealed that marijuana smoking with or without tobacco is associated with a reduction in the single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity to 74 .+-. 20 percent of predicted, which was significantly different from that in the nonsmoking control subjects (92 .+-. 11 percent; p < 0.05). The subset of subjects who smoked marijuana and tobacco had a further reduction of the single-breath carbon monoxide diffusing capacity to 65 .+-. 17 percent, which was significantly different from that in both nonsmoking and smoking control subjects (80 .+-. 7 percent). These results suggest that heavy marijuana smoking when added to tobacco smoking may damage the gas exchange surface of the lung.