What Is The Relationship Between Cocaine And Heart Disease?
Dr. Christopher Granger answers the question: 'Cocaine And Heart Disease Risk?'
— -- Question: What Is The Relationship Between Cocaine And Heart Disease?
Answer: Cocaine is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease. And it can cause heart attack, it can cause spasm of the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood, and it, in fact, can cause sudden death. So, cocaine is a major problem for people who are at risk for coronary artery disease -- and even a person who is perfectly healthy and has a perfectly normal heart can have a premature heart attack directly from cocaine. Cocaine causes an intense increase in the sympathetic nervous system, which causes release of adrenaline and causes a major stress on the heart and the cardiovascular system.
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