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Cardiac fibrotic remodeling may be common in methamphetamine use
Patients who chronically used methamphetamine had maladaptive cardiac fibrotic remodeling which may be associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, according to data presented at the American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions.
“In our current study, we have found increased myocardial fibrosis in the hearts from human methamphetamine users compared to the non-methamphetamine user indicative of pathological cardiac remodeling that in part explains the development of heart failure in human methamphetamine users,” Md. Shenuarin Bhuiyan, PhD, assistant professor in the departments of pathology and translational pathobiology and of molecular and cellular physiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in Shreveport, told Cardiology Today.
Chowdhury S. Abdullah, PhD, postdoctoral fellow in the department of pathology and translational pathobiology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center, and colleagues analyzed 32 autopsy heart samples from patients (mean age, 38 years) who tested positive for chronic methamphetamine use. The causes of death for these patients included methamphetamine overdose, hanging, gunshot wounds, stab wounds, blunt force injury or sudden heart or lung problems.
These samples were compared with other samples from patients who did not use methamphetamine and died from hanging, gunshot, blunt force injury or blood clots in the lungs.
Compared with patients who did not use methamphetamine, those who used the drug had intense perivascular and interstitial fibrosis in the left ventricular sections.
Results were confirmed in mice who were administered methamphetamine for 4 weeks.
“Methamphetamine has profound deleterious effects on the cardiovascular system and irreversible damage the heart raising the risk of a heart attack,” Bhuiyan said in an interview. “Methamphetamine also increases the risk of sudden cardiac death, even in young methamphetamine users with no previous health problems. Irrespective of the cause of death, our autopsy samples indicate signs of irreversible cardiac fibrotic remodeling among methamphetamine users. Therefore, rehabilitation centers for methamphetamine users should routinely monitor cardiac dysfunction and symptoms of cardiomyopathy as early detection of heart problems in patients with methamphetamine use could prevent further deterioration of the cardiomyopathy.” – by Darlene Dobkowski
Reference:
Abdullah CS, et al. Presentation 120. Presented at: American Heart Association’s Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Scientific Sessions; July 29-Aug. 1, 2019; Boston.
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.