Cocaine abusers get more heart aneurysms
By Nathan Seppa
Regular cocaine users are about four times as likely as nonusers are to have an aneurysm in a coronary artery, according to a new study. The finding could explain in part why cocaine users have a heightened risk of heart attack, says cardiologist Timothy D. Henry of the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.
An aneurysm is an abnormal bulge in a blood vessel. Although coronary-artery aneurysms seldom rupture, they interfere with blood flow and might cause dangerous clots, Henry says.