title: Left ventricular morphologic features and function in nonhospitalized cocaine users: a quantitative two-dimensional echocardiographic study.
abstract: To determine whether left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy or dysfunction is present in nonhospitalized cocaine users, we performed quantitative two-dimensional echocardiography in 20 intravenous cocaine users and 20 age- and sex-matched controls. Cocaine users were normotensive, had begun taking cocaine an average of 14 years earlier, and had used cocaine an average of 8 times/mo during the preceding year. There were no significant differences between cocaine users and control subjects for LV mass index (79 vs 74 gm/m2, respectively), mean wall thickness (0.95 vs 0.91 cm), end-diastolic volume index (55 vs 56 ml/m2), end-systolic volume index (17 vs 19 ml/m2), or ejection fraction (70 vs 66%; p > or = 0.09 for all comparisons). Moreover, none of the cocaine users or control subjects had significant regional wall motion abnormalities, and none of the subjects or controls had ejection fractions < 55%. Thus we found little evidence that significant LV hypertrophy or dysfunction is present in nonhospitalized cocaine users. From these results we speculate that cocaine-associated LV hypertrophy and dysfunction may be restricted to certain high-risk groups of chronic cocaine users.
authors.affiliation: Cardiovascular Research Institute, University of California, San Francisco 94143-0984, USA.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Eisenberg
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jue
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mendelson
authors.forename: R T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: N B
authors.initials: NB
authors.lastname: Schiller
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003042:Cocaine; D004452:Echocardiography / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D017379:Hypertrophy, Left Ventricular / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine