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.
Conclusions
Methamphetamine use was associated with cardiomyopathy in young patients.
Keywords
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© 2007 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
