Source-ANI: People who regularly use cocaine socially have stiffer arteries, higher blood pressure and thicker heart wall muscle than non-users, all of which can cause a heart attack, an Australian study has found.

The Australian study is the first to document some of these cardiovascular abnormalities in seemingly healthy cocaine users long after the immediate effects of cocaine have worn off.

The researchers used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to measure the effects of cocaine in 20 otherwise healthy adults who chronically used the illegal substance.

Compared with 20 non-users, cocaine users had higher rates of multiple factors associated with higher risks of heart attack and stroke, 30 percent to 35 percent increase in aortic stiffening and 18 percent greater thickness of the heart’s left ventricle wall.

cocaine, drug, after effect, heart attack, Vices

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