title: Cocaine use, hypertension, and end-stage renal disease.
abstract: Cocaine use has been associated with both acute renal failure and hypertension (HTN), but only recently have data suggested it may lead to a chronic insidious form of renal failure. We designed a cross-sectional study to compare the association of cocaine use in hemodialysis patients with and without a diagnosis of HTN-related end-stage renal disease (HTN-ESRD). Two hundred one black patients from two outpatient hemodialysis units in an urban community were evaluated. There were 193 eligible patients, 106 men and 87 women, aged 49.28 +/- 14.4 years. A history of significant cocaine use before dialysis was reported by 55 of 193 subjects (28.5%). A diagnosis of HTN-ESRD was reported in 49 of 55 cocaine users (89.1%) compared with 64 of 138 nonusers (46.38%; odds ratio, 9.44; 95% confidence interval, 3.79 to 23.49; P < 0.0005). Of the 113 subjects with HTN-ESRD, 49 subjects (43.4%) had a history of cocaine abuse, either alone or in combination with other drugs. Subjects with HTN-ESRD with cocaine use were younger than those without cocaine use (40.7 +/- 9.0 versus 53.8 +/-15.3 years; P < 0.0005) and had a shorter reported duration of HTN (5.3 +/- 5.4 versus 12.7 +/- 9.8 years; P < 0.0005, adjusted for age and sex). In our urban dialysis population, a clinical diagnosis of HTN-ESRD was strongly associated with a history of cocaine use and earlier onset of ESRD. Cocaine should be considered as a cause of ESRD in patients without a clear cause of renal failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, Los Angeles, CA 90059, USA. knorris@ucla.edu
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Norris
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Thornhill-Joynes
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Robinson
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Strickland
authors.forename: B L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Alperson
authors.forename: S C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Witana
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Ward
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010349:Patient Compliance; D006435:Renal Dialysis; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors