Pubdate: Sat, 17 Feb 2007
Source: Honolulu Star-Bulletin (HI)
Copyright: 2007 Honolulu Star-Bulletin
Contact:  http://www.starbulletin.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/196
Author: Helen Altonn
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/meth.htm (Methamphetamine)

METH USE DAMAGES HEART, UH SHOWS

The Study Of Patients At Queen's Confirms What Doctors Knew Of The 
Dangers Of "Ice"

A study of 221 patients at the Queen's Medical Center confirmed what 
doctors here have long known: Methamphetamine use causes heart trouble.

The risk of cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle, was nearly 
four times higher in methamphetamine, or "ice," users than in 
nonusers, researchers reported in this month's American Journal of Medicine.

"The problem was, for 10 to 15 years everybody knew methamphetamine 
caused heart failure," said Dr. Irwin Schatz, professor of medicine 
and cardiologist in the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.

Doctors saw such patients all the time but were told at science 
meetings that the cases were only anecdotal, he said.

Dr. Khung-Keong Yeo of the University of California-Davis Medical 
Center in Sacramento said a controlled study was needed, and he and 
his colleagues conducted it with the UH medical school, Schatz said.

Schatz and Dr. Todd Seto, associate professor of medicine, led the 
JABSOM team. They reviewed charts of 221 patients age 45 and younger 
who were hospitalized at Queen's between January 2001 and June 2004.

Of the total, 107, or 48 percent, were discharged with a diagnosis of 
cardiomyopathy. They were compared with 114 patients of similar ages 
who were discharged without evidence of heart problems.

Both groups had other medical problems, such as diabetes and 
hypertension, and included patients who were smokers and used 
alcohol, marijuana and cocaine.

Forty percent of the 107 patients with cardiomyopathy used methamphetamine.

"The meth users had 3.7 times increased incidence of cardiomyopathy 
than the control group," Schatz said.

The heart muscle of ice users becomes diseased and begins to lose 
function, Schatz said: "The heart loses the ability to contract." 
Many meth users were operating at 30 to 50 percent efficiency, he said.

The most common cause of cardiomyopathy in the past was alcohol, 
Schatz said. "Now, it's clear that the greatest percentage of people 
entering the hospital with cardiomyopathy have it because of ice use, 
and it's a relatively common problem."

"It's another reason to persuade their youngsters from trying ice. It 
really is devastating to see these folks coming in and out (of the 
hospital) all the time," Schatz said.

"This is prevalent, I'm sure, all over the country where crystal meth 
is used," he added. "There is no reason to believe it is unique in Hawaii."

Queen's was selected by Yeo for the study because of a large 
concentration of patients, Schatz said. Many uninsured patients end 
up there, he said, "and we were seeing a majority of these patients."

The study is significant because for the first time "it establishes 
from a scientific point of view that crystal meth can really affect 
the heart for many of these young users," Schatz said. "It is tragic 
because many of them won't stop even after they enter the hospital 
and are discharged. They go back to using again. It's really sad."

Other co-authors of the study at the UH medical school were Dr. 
Hiroki Ito, Dr. Kevin Tay, Jimmy Efird, Kavitha Alimineti and Chieko 
Kimata. Dr. Mevan Wijetunga of Washington, D.C., also was a co-author.

[Sidebar]

'Ice' And Heart Disease Study Findings

Of 221 patients age 45 or younger who were hospitalized at the 
Queen's Medical Center between January 2001 and June 2004:

107, or 48 percent, had cardiomyopathy, a disease of the heart muscle.

40 percent of the 107 patients with cardiomyopathy used 
methamphetamine. Meth users had 3.7 times the increased incidence of 
cardiomyopathy than the control group.

The patients with cardiomyopathy included 70 men and 37 women. Twelve 
were under age 30; 50, between 30 to 40; and 45, between 40 and 45.

21 percent of the patients diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in the study 
were Caucasian; 29 percent, Asian; and 46 percent, Pacific Islanders.
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MAP posted-by: Beth Wehrman