title: Cocaine and acute vascular diseases.
abstract: Cocaine is one of the most widely used drugs of abuse. Chest pain is the most common side effect requiring emergency visits after cocaine use. Vasoconstriction and platelet activation are the main effects of cocaine in the vasculature. In this brief review, we consider the most important clinical effects of cocaine abuse on the heart, brain and kidney. Symptoms related to cocaine toxicity such as myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure, arrhythmias, aortic dissection, stroke, renal failure, are similar to the clinical picture of atherosclerotic vascular damage, even if the age of cocaine abusers is usually in the second and third decades. Clinicians (especially emergency department physicians) should consider substance abuse among the differential diagnosis of chest pain in young people.
authors.affiliation: Clinica Medica, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria di Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: De Giorgi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fabbian
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Pala
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Bonetti
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Babini
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bagnaresi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Manfredini
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Portaluppi
authors.forename: D P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Mikhailidis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Manfredini
mesh_terms: D000208:Acute Disease; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000150:complications; D002493:Central Nervous System Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000150:complications; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000175:diagnosis; D003042:Cocaine / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000633:toxicity*; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007674:Kidney Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000150:complications; D015539:Platelet Activation / Q000187:drug effects; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D003042:Cocaine