Cocaine: that white powder is bad for the heart

Deaths due to heart attack are declining. But not among young people, who are consuming growing amounts of cocaine. The white powder is the most vasoconstrictive of all drugs, and some scientists say it can permanently change the anatomy of the brain.

Young people have strong hearts, but not strong enough to resist the impact of cocaine. This is borne out by statistics: according to a recent report by the Italian Society for Cardiovascular Health, mortality from heart attacks is decreasing, except among young people, who are taking increasing amounts of cocaine. The drug enhances mood and libido, but has a direct effect on the heart.

Cocaine: a powerful vasoconstrictor

Cocaine is a very powerful vasoconstrictor, and chronic use significantly increases a large number of risks, including hypertension and myocardial infarction caused by vasoconstriction, serious arrhythmias such as ventricular fibrillation, and immune deficits. The cocktail of effects also includes irritability, depression, anxiety, insomnia, and frequent paranoia. Cocaine has the most vasoconstrictive effect of any drug. Young people who sniff the white powder are more likely to have heart attacks due to spasms of the coronary arteries, and often also suffer from necrosis of the nostrils, again due to vasoconstriction.

Lifestyle also affects mortality from heart attacks

Just to make things worse, apart from taking cocaine, a drug derived from the coca plant, originating in South America and used for centuries by the indigenous Quechua people of the Andes to relieve hunger and the effects of altitude, young people are also prone to other unhealthy lifestyle traits such as poor diet, lack of exercise, and smoking.

Cocaine changes the anatomy of the brain

Cocaine damages not only the cardiovascular system, but also the brain. A study by Cambridge University's Behavioural and Clinical Neuroscience Institute shows that the active ingredient of cocaine permanently changes the anatomy of the frontal lobe, which over time reduces the attention threshold and causes increasingly compulsive and uncontrollable consumption of the drug.

The scientists carried out MRI scans of the brains of 60 cocaine addicts, and found that their frontal lobes had significantly below-average levels of grey matter. This anomalous result affected their ability to make decisions and achieve goals, their attention spans and their emotional processes. But that's not all: a cocaine user is likely to have an abnormal insula and cordate nucleus, a deep region of the brain, affecting their pleasure and motor coordination mechanisms.

Was it useful?

We do not reply to this form. If you have any questions or need information, please use the form on the Contact Us page.

You might also be interested in:
  • A guide to the world of blood pressure monitors

    You need to buy a blood pressure monitor, but you don't know how to choose. We'll guide you through the various types and help you find the right one for your everyday situation: the pros and cons of each one, how accurate and ...

    Find out more
  • Automatic blood pressure monitors and irregular heart rate: the ...

    Arrhythmia is a cardiac anomaly that causes irregular sequences of heartbeats; too slow, too fast, or non-linear. In this case, not all blood pressure monitors will help you, and you should use purpose-built products such as the ...

    Find out more
  • The strange case of cholesterol

    Cholesterol is essential for our bodies, but if there is too much in the blood and the liver cannot break it down, it causes atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases which, in its most extreme forms, can provoke heart attacks ...

    Find out more
You might be interested in
  • Easy Rapid

    An intuitive automatic digital arm-type blood pressure monitor. Its innovative DLS design uses the latest-generation Rapid Tech - Comfort Experience ...

    Find out more
  • Clear Rapid

    An automatic arm-type blood pressure monitor, innovative in its form and technology. Its design complies with the aesthetic and ergonomic principles ...

    Find out more
  • OneRAPID

    It is a digital arm blood pressure monitor with a compact shape and minimalist tubeless design, created by Pic to be practical and easily share data ...

    Find out more