The Association of Methamphetamine Use and Cardiomyopathy in Young Patients

Yeo, Khung-Keong; Wijetunga, Mevan; Ito, Hiroki; Efird, Jimmy T.; Tay, Kevin; Seto, Todd B.; Alimineti, Kavitha; Kimata, Chieko; Schatz, Irwin J.

doi:10.1016/j.amjmed.2006.01.024

« Previous Next »The American Journal of Medicine
Volume 120, Issue 2 , Pages 165-171, February 2007

The Association of Methamphetamine Use and Cardiomyopathy in Young Patients

Khung-Keong Yeo, MBBS
- Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
- Address for correspondence and reprints: Khung-Keong Yeo, MBBS Division of Cardiovascular Medicine University of California, Davis Medical Center, 4860 Y Street, Suite 2820, Sacramento, CA 95817. Telephone: (916) 7343764; Fax: (916) 7348394.
Mevan Wijetunga, MD
- Division of Cardiology, Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC
Hiroki Ito, MD
- Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
Jimmy T. Efird, Ph.D, M.Sc.
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, San Francisco
- Asia Pacific Institute of Tropical Medicine and Infectious Diseases, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii
- Biostatistics and Data Management Facility, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii
Kevin Tay, MD
- Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
Todd B. Seto, MD, MPH, FACC
- Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu
Kavitha Alimineti, M.Sc.
- Biostatistics and Data Management Facility, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii
Chieko Kimata, MPH
- Biostatistics and Data Management Facility, John A. Burns School of Medicine, Honolulu, Hawaii
Irwin J. Schatz, MD, FACC
- Department of Medicine, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii, Honolulu

Abstract

Purpose

Methamphetamine is the most widespread illegally used stimulant in the United States. Previously published case reports and series suggest a potential association between methamphetamine exposure and cardiomyopathy. The objective of this study is to demonstrate an association between methamphetamine use and cardiomyopathy.

Subject and Methods

Case-control study based on chart review of discharges from a tertiary care medical center from January 2001 to June 2004. Patients were ≤45 years old. Cases included patients with a discharge diagnosis of either cardiomyopathy or heart failure. Controls included hospitalized patients who had an echocardiographic assessment of left ventricular function with ejection fraction ≥55% and no wall motion abnormalities.

Results

One hundred and seven cases and 114 controls were identified. Both groups had similar gender distribution, length of hospital stay, rates of health insurance, prevalence of coronary artery disease, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, and marijuana and cocaine use. Cases were older than controls (mean age: 38 vs 35 years; P=.008), had higher body mass index (BMI) (mean BMI: 37 vs 30 kg/m²; P<.001), and higher prevalence of renal failure (13% vs 4.4%; P=.03). Methamphetamine users had a 3.7-fold increased odds ratio [95% confidence interval, 1.8-7.8] for cardiomyopathy, adjusting for age, body mass index, and renal failure.