14 DAY TRIAL // In a new paper in the journal Addiction, specialists with the University of Basque Country in Spain and fellow researchers argue that, according to evidence at hand, individuals who are in the habit of consuming cocaine are 4 times more likely to, well, drop dead all of a sudden.
Thus, the scientists say that, as shown by their investigation into the matter at hand, cocaine consumption quadruples the risk of sudden cardiovascular death in people between the ages of 19 and 40, even if these guys and gals are otherwise perfectly healthy.
How cocaine consumption influences sudden death risk
Writing in the journal Addiction, the researchers who conducted this investigation explain that, as shown by previous studies, regular cocaine consumption seriously takes its toll on an individual's cardiovascular system.
More precisely, this drug ups heart rate and blood pressure, makes the heart contract and relax in a rather hectic manner, and even leads to an increase in this organ's oxygen requirements. Simply put, it drastically alters the heart's working routine.
The specialists go on to detail that, as a result of these changes, people become more vulnerable to arrhythmia and blood clots. Either one of these issues, together with several others, can translate into the shutdown of the cardiovascular system and sudden death.
Studying the link between sudden death risk and cocaine use
As part of their study into how this drug can affect a person's overall wellbeing and reduce lifespan, the University of Basque Country researchers and their colleagues turned to studying the circumstances surrounding sudden deaths documented in the Spanish province of Biscay between 2003 and 2009.
All in all, the scientists focused on as many as 437 cases of sudden cardiovascular death involving individuals between the ages of 19 and 49. They settled on this age limit to make sure that the outcome of their study would not be influenced by health trouble associated with old age.
It was thus discovered that, of the 437 people whose bodies were examined, nearly 10% were cocaine users. Specifically, the University of Basque Country scientists say that, during autopsy, they found traces of the drug in their body.
By comparison, just 2% of another 126 people who died of other causes but who were also included in the study were found to have trace amounts of cocaine in their system. Having taken variables such as lifestyle and gender into consideration, the researchers found that cocaine quadruples the risk of sudden cardiovascular death.
“In all the cases, a full post-mortem examination plus toxicological and histopathological studies were conducted, and the clinical data and circumstances of the deaths were reviewed,” the specialists detail their work.
“The analysis of the data shows that cocaine consumption multiplies the risk of dying by four compared with non-consumption,” they sum up their findings.
