Ecstasy heart attacks
June 12, 2012
USERS of the illegal drug ecstasy
face the possibility of heart attack,
according to a new report in
Emergency Medicine Australia.
In the report, the authors argue
that whilst cocaine and speed are
most often associated with heart
issues, the mechanism of
cardiovascular toxicity of MDMA
(ecstasy) is not well understood.
Penned by Dr Kerry Hoggett, Dr
David McCoubrie, and Professor
Daniel Fatovich of the Royal Perth
Hospital, the report found that
whilst 25% of patients with chest
pain after methamphetamine use
develop acute coronary syndrome
within the first few hours, there
were three cases of delayed onset
after ecstasy use.
“Although acute coronary syndrome
is recognised after cocaine and
methamphetamine use, association
with ecstasy use has rarely been
reported,” the report’s authors said.
According to the report, all three
patients who suffered heart
attacks following ecstasy usage
were otherwise young well adults,
a fact which has led the report’s
authors to urge people to be aware
“of the potential for significantly
delayed heart symptoms following
ingestion of ecstasy”.
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