Just a small amount of cocaine can kill, says study

COCAINE is not a safe party drug and is partly responsible for an alarming proportion of sudden deaths in adults, according to European research.

The head of the Irish Heart Foundation (IHF) has warned even a small amount of the substance can kill.

A study carried out in Spain, reported in the European Heart Journal, confirmed the risk of sudden cardiac death with cocaine use.

Dr Brian Maurer, medical director of the IHF, said the latest findings confirm the association between cocaine usage and sudden cardiac death and that all users are at risk, including healthy individuals who do not suffer from heart disease.

The Spanish study showed even occasional users of small amounts may die as a result.

“In Ireland clinical experience over the last few years has shown not only does cocaine cause sudden cardiac death, but it is also responsible for an alarming rise in hospital emergency admissions for serious heart attacks. Subsequent investigations showed that no underlying heart disease existed in many of the younger patients, which supports the Spanish findings,” Dr Maurer said.

He urges everyone, especially young people, to refrain from using cocaine.

“Even small amounts taken infrequently are dangerous and can result in sudden death or long term disability due to a heart attack.”

Meanwhile, Professor Richard Lange, a cardiologist from the University of Texas at San Antonio, said: “The proportion of sudden deaths where cocaine is implicated is alarming.

“People think that if they just use it occasionally it is a risk-free drug, and we need to dispel that myth – it’s just not true.”