Neurovascular complications of cocaine abuse

Abstract

A 3-year prospective study of 31,081 admissions to an inner-city, emergency trauma hospital revealed 33 patients less than or equal to 45 years of age who had a total of 35 acute neurovascular events (infarction or hemorrhage) related to cocaine abuse (3% of the total 979 cocaine-related admissions). Fifty-four percent of the events were ischemic, and 46% were hemorrhagic. Six patients died. The majority (63%) of ischemic events were hemispheric and subcortical in distribution. Eleven of 13 angiograms were abnormal (five aneurysms and two arteriovenous malformations were identified). No case of "vasculitis" was seen. Seventy percent of the patients exclusively abused crack cocaine, and 94% of the neurovascular events were related to its use. No first-time cocaine users were identified. During the last year of the study, 29% of the 558 cocaine-related admissions were psychiatric admissions, and most (58%) were for treatment of depressive illness (34 patients were admitted for attempted suicide).