Cocaine Is 'Heart Attack Drug,' Says New Research Presented In L.A.
Bad news for pretty much everyone who's ever "partied" in L.A.
Nightlife of Revelry / Flickr
A study presented at the American Heart Association's "Scientific Sessions 2012" confab in Los Angeles concludes that la coca is "the perfect heart attack drug," in the words of lead researcher Gemma Figtree.
Holy crap, said Charlie Sheen. Yeah. In fact some of the folks the docs looked at appeared to be fairly healthy on the outside:
The University of Sydney research found that subjects who used cocaine at least once a month for the last year were "at high risk of a spontaneous heart attack," according to an AHA statement.
Twenty in-shape people who used the ole yay-yo were compared to 20 who didn't. Their brains were scanned by MRI machines, in fact, the academics said:
Scarface A heart attack waiting to happen.
Coke users had a 30 to 35 percent increase in aortic (heart valve) stiffening, higher blood pressure, and an 18 percent thicker heart ventricle wall. Not good.
Even after the high wore off subjects were diagnosed with persistent hypertension, according to the research.
Figtree:
It's so sad. We are repeatedly seeing young, otherwise fit individuals suffering massive heart attacks related to cocaine use. Despite being well-educated professionals, they have no knowledge of the health consequences of regularly using cocaine.
Hopefully they know now.
[@dennisjromero / djromero@laweekly.com / @LAWeeklyNews]
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