Pubdate: Thu, 09 May 2002 Source: Star-Ledger (NJ) Webpage: www.nj.com/news/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-1/102093540892485.xml Copyright: 2002 Newark Morning Ledger Co Contact: http://www.nj.com/starledger/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/424 Author: Reuters RESEARCHERS CALL REGULAR COCAINE USE A STEADILY GROWING INVITATION TO STROKE WASHINGTON -- Frequent cocaine use slowly inflames blood vessels and causes clotting, increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke, researchers said yesterday. A team of scientists at Harvard University said constant exposure to cocaine causes the body to boost production of blood-thickening factors ordinarily used after an injury to slow blood loss and start tissue growth. Cocaine use can cause problems as subtle as a nosebleed, but the symptoms can progress to cardiac arrest and death. The study explained some of the mechanisms behind this, including a rise in levels of C-reactive proteins, which are linked to thickening in the arteries. "Using cocaine once is like playing Russian roulette, but continued use compounds the risk, so it is like adding a second bullet to the chamber of the gun," Arthur Siegel, the doctor from Harvard's McLean Hospital who led the study, said in a statement. Siegel's report appears in the American Journal of Cardiology. Siegel and his colleagues monitored the balance of blood-thickening and blood-thinning factors by watching two groups of people: 10 users who took cocaine between six and 20 times a week and 10 who took it between two and six times a month. All 20 users had similar levels of cholesterol. The researchers found that levels of C-reactive protein and two other thickening components, von Willebrand Factor and fibrinogen, were higher in those who used the drug on a regular basis. Previous studies had demonstrated that using cocaine causes inflammation briefly, but the new findings showed that gradual use has serious long-term impacts that increase over time. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth