How Cocaine Affects the Heart

How Cocaine Affects the Heart

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
QUESTION: Many of my colleagues are occasional uses of cocaine for "social
relaxation". My warnings of its danger go unheeded, but I know they are at
risk for heart problems. Maybe a column on how cocaine affects the heart
might help?
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ANSWER: I am happy to oblige. You, of course, are correct. Cocaine can
cause a fatal heart attack. Remember the headline stories of the deaths of
two star athletes, University of Maryland basketball star Len Bias, and pro
football player Don Rogers? Yet the myth persists that cocaine is a safe and
nonaddicting drug for occasional recreational use--and at least 5 million
Americans use it regularly.
Regardless of how cocaine is used, whether it is sniffed, smoked, or
taken orally, it can enhance catecholamine activity in the body.
Catecholamines are naturally produced compounds that affect different systems,
including the cardiovascular, and can intensify the response of certain
organs, like the heart.
This excess of catecholamines can interfere with normal heart rhythms and
increase blood pressure. It can also cause an abnormally high heart rate,
heart spasm, constricted blood vessels, and even blood clots. These
conditions can lead to a blocked coronary artery--and a heart attack--even in
a young, previously healthy person who has no history of heart disease.
Anyone who already has coronary artery disease greatly increases his risk for
heart attack by using cocaine.
And playing games by adding amphetamines, which are sometimes used in
combination with cocaine, raises that risk even higher. Listen up out there;
this man is no prude, he is just telling it like it is.
----------------
The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
problem.