Cocaine may cause chest pain in healthy patients

By Tom •

March 17, 2008

According to a new scientific statement released Monday by the American Heart Association (AHA), cocaine use can sometimes be the hidden culprit when young or otherwise healthy patients complain to doctors of chest pain.The report noted that, on most occasions, chest pain related to cocaine use occured within three hours of using the drug.Dr. James McCord,cardiology director of the chest pain unit for the Henry Ford Health System in Detroit, who headed the panel that drafted the statement, said “More commonly, these are younger people. The most common age group is about 35 to 44 for patients who come to the emergency department after cocaine use, having chest pain.” Common heart disease risk factors are high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, obesity and an unhealthful diet.