Evidence for therapeutic use of cannabidiol for nail-patella syndrome-induced pain in a real-world pilot study

Abstract

Nail-patella syndrome (NPS) is a rare genetic disease characterized by dysplastic nails, patella abnormalities, skeletal malformation, and chronic pain. Although chronic pain in NPS is mainly due to bone and musculoskeletal symptoms, it can also result from neurological dysfunction. Conventional analgesics are often insufficient to relieve NPS-associated chronic pain. Cannabinoids, which act on the serotonergic and/or noradrenergic pain systems, may therefore represent valuable non-psychoactive alternatives for managing pain in these patients. The effectiveness and safety of synthetic cannabidiol (CBD) for the management of NPS-associated pain was assessed using real-world data from a pilot cohort of patients with NPS who received a 3-month treatment with oral CBD. The treatment (median dose of 900 mg/day) was associated with a significant reduction in pain intensity (mean score of 7.04 ± 0.24 at initiation versus 4.04 ± 0.38 at 3 months, N = 28, p < 0.0001), which correlated with changes in the peripheral concentration of noradrenaline (r = 0.705, 95% CI [0.44–0.86], p < 0.0001). Health-related quality of life and other NPS-associated symptoms also improved in most patients. CBD treatment was well tolerated and no elevations in liver enzyme levels were reported. Synthetic CBD therefore appears to be a safe and effective treatment option for managing NPS-associated chronic pain.