The case report involved a 27-year-old male who sought treatment at an emergency department after experiencing symptoms of chest tightness and discomfort for three hours.
He was diagnosed and treated in the emergency department at the National Taiwan University Hospital in Taipei, Taiwan for acute myocardial infarction as a result of Ecstasy use. This 2003 case was the only the second case reported showing evidence that Ecstasy might cause heart attacks similar to those caused by amphetamines, according to the report's authors.
But the authors also reported the man drank a bottle of whisky before taking half of a pill of Ecstasy.
The effect of Ecstasy on coronary vessels is not well documented in any published scientific studies. The case report's authors speculate that Ecstasy-related heart attacks may be similar to those caused by cocaine or amphetamine use.
No Long-Range Studies
Some studies have found cocaine and amphetamines promote coagulation of blood that can lead to blood clots in the arteries, which can cause heart attacks. But no studies have been conducted that found the same effects from Ecstasy use."Physicians in the emergency department should become familiar with this drug because of its emerging trend toward its use. Although it was once thought that the drug does not cause dependency and adverse side effects, this belief has been overturned by many reports of side effects in recent literature," the report authors said.
Source: The study was published in the December 2003 issue of Annals of Emergency Medicine.
