Dr. Robert Freeman, a urologist at Derriford Hospital in Plymouth, England, reported results in 657 patients with stable multiple sclerosis who had been randomized to treatment with oral cannabis extract, delta9-tetrahydrocannabinol (delta9-THC) or placebo.

Patients completed urinary incontinence diaries and quality-of-life questionnaires, and some of them also underwent urodynamic studies and urinary pad tests.

The 15-week study found a 38% decrease in the frequency of urge incontinence episodes from baseline in the cannabis extract group, a 33% decrease in the delta9-THC group and an 18% decrease in the placebo group, Dr. Freeman reported.

While none of the treatments had an effect on quality-of-life or urodynamic outcomes, the cannabinoid groups had a mean decrease of 43.88 mL on the urinary pad test compared with a mean increase of 8.27 mL in the placebo group.

"Our findings are encouraging given the fact that urinary incontinence affects up to 80% of multiple sclerosis patients," said Dr. Freeman. More studies are needed to verify the results, he added.

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