Cocaine cardiotoxicity and ventricular disfunction in a young patient

Abstract

The use of psychoactive substances can induce cardiovascular complications. The purpose of this report is to describe the case of a young patient with dilated cardiomyopathy secondary to cocaine use. Patient with dyspnea for six months, with progressive worsening, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, orthopnea, and lower limb edema. Physical examination showed tachycardia (110 bpm), with other vital signs without alterations, presence of crackling rales in the bases and middle fields, moderate volume ascites, and significant lower limb edema. Electrocardiogram showed sinus rhythm with left chamber overload; chest X-ray only marked cardiomegaly. The echocardiogram showed reduced left ventricular (LV) ejection fraction (7%), enlarged left atrium, and right ventricle (RV), with eccentric hypertrophy and severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction, with moderate RV dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension (39 mmHg). Resonance presented mild right atrial dilatation, RV with significant dilatation, significant biventricular systolic dysfunction, with diffuse hypokinesia, and myocardial fibrosis of non-coronary pattern. The reported case shows a diagnosis whose pathophysiological mechanism of dilated cardiomyopathy is not clear. The most coherent association of dilated cardiomyopathy presented by the patient is related to cocaine abuse, due to the long-term recurrent stimulus that excess catecholamines caused in the myocardium. Given the spectrum of cardiomyopathy, infarction, and arrhythmias that may potentially occur associated with cocaine use, the hypothesis of cardiotoxicity should be considered in the evaluation of a patient with a history of cocaine abuse.