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Cardiac lesions in cases of sudden death in methamphetamine abusers

  • Other Myocardial Disease
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Summary

A histologic study of hearts was made in nine cases of sudden death (average age 32 years) in methamphetamine abusers. Myocardial hypertrophy and disorganization as well as fibrosis were predominant, and only one case showed coronary atherosclerosis. Since the myocardial changes observed in the present study were similar to those typically seen in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, it is possible that excess secretion of catecholamines, particularly norepinephrine, induced by methamphetamine abuse is associated in some way with the development of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Legal Medicine, Osaka University Medical School, 4-3-57 Nakanoshima Kita-ku, Osaka City, Japan

    Ryoji Matoba & Ichiro Shikata

  2. College of Biomedical Technology, Osaka University, Japan

    Shunzo Onishi

Authors
  1. Ryoji Matoba
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  2. Shunzo Onishi
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  3. Ichiro Shikata
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Matoba, R., Onishi, S. & Shikata, I. Cardiac lesions in cases of sudden death in methamphetamine abusers. Heart Vessels 1 (Suppl 1), 298–300 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02072414

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02072414

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