title: Bradycardia as a Marker of Chronic Cocaine Use: A Novel Cardiovascular Finding.
abstract: Few studies have examined the effects of chronic cocaine use on the resting surface electrocardiogram (ECG) between exposures to cocaine. Researchers compared 12-lead ECGs from 97 treatment-seeking cocaine-dependent patients, with ECG parameters from 8,513 non-cocaine-using control patients from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. After matching and adjusting for relevant covariates, cocaine use demonstrated large and statistically reliable effects on early repolarization, bradycardia, severe bradycardia, and heart rate. Current cocaine dependence corresponds to an increased odds of demonstrating early repolarization by a factor of 4.92 and increased odds of bradycardia and severe bradycardia by factors 3.02 and 5.11, respectively. This study demonstrates the novel finding that long-lasting effects of cocaine use on both the cardiac conduction and the autonomic nervous system pose a risk of adverse cardiovascular events between episodes of cocaine use, and that bradycardia is a marker of chronic cocaine use.
authors.affiliation: a Piedmont Heart Institute.
authors.forename: Jyoti
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.affiliation: b Department of Biostatistics , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: Nuvan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rathnayaka
authors.affiliation: c Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Green
authors.affiliation: d Institute on Drug and Alcohol Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine.
authors.forename: F Gerard
authors.initials: FG
authors.lastname: Moeller
authors.affiliation: c Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
authors.forename: Joy M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schmitz
authors.affiliation: e University of Texas at Houston Medical School.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shoham
authors.affiliation: f Department of Cardiology , University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.
authors.forename: Anne Hamilton
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Dougherty
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015415:Biomarkers; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D019970:Cocaine-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D015813:Substance Abuse Detection / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers
keywords: Bradycardia; cocaine dependence; early repolarization