Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0018801 (heart failure)
 72,216 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Amphetamines are popular drugs of abuse, particularly among youngsters and at dance scenes. Cardiotoxicity (manifested as cardiomyopathy, acute myocardial infarction/necrosis, heart failure, or arrhythmia) after the recreational (mis)use of amphetamine and its synthetic derivatives has been documented but is rather rare. Amphetamine-related cardiac fatalities are even more rare. We present 6 cases of young persons who died unexpected after the chronic abuse of amphetamines. Death was not attributed to a lethal intoxication but to an acute myocardial necrosis, a right ventricle rupture, a cardiomyopathy, or an arrhythmia. Two of the deceased persons presented prior to their death to the emergency department, but their complaints were not considered (probably due to their young age) to be of cardiac origin. One case was a sport-related fatality where medical screening failed to identify the underlying cardiac pathology or the amphetamine abuse, and 1 case was a so-called idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy where substance abuse was not considered by the treating physician. We think that amphetamine-associated cardiotoxicity is a rare but probably genuine entity that should be considered both in forensic and clinical/emergency medicine because of its potential medicolegal implications.
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PMID:Fatal amphetamine-associated cardiotoxicity and its medicolegal implications. 1673 35

Various mechanisms have been argued for skin wrinkling, one of the hallmarks of aging. We hypothesize that chronic sympathetic bias is a previously unrecognized mechanism for wrinkling. In the acute setting of water immersion, reversible skin wrinkling is a well-known reflex mediated by the autonomic nervous system. We postulate that skin wrinkling results as a local maladaptive manifestation of a global chronic sympathetic bias that emerges during aging. The persistence of such changes may induce additional compensatory remodeling to cause permanent alteration of the skin. Sympatholytic agents may prove beneficial for arresting or ameliorating the development of wrinkles. Conditions that amplify sympathetic bias such as stress, smoking, amphetamine abuse, HIV, heart failure, and transplantation may accelerate wrinkling. Other common diseases of the skin may also arise as particular manifestations of aberrant autonomic activity through induction of vascular and immune dysfunctions. The temporal and spatial distribution of these dermatologic conditions may reflect variation of autonomic balance, which also regulates T helper immune balance. For all of these dermatologic conditions, local and systemic administration of drugs and medical devices that pharmacologically or electrically modulate autonomic nervous system activity may yield benefits as well.
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PMID:A new wrinkle: skin manifestations of aging may relate to autonomic dysfunction. 1676 36

Amphetamine abuse is a global problem. The cardiotoxic manifestations like acute myocardial infarction (AMI), heart failure, or arrhythmia related to misuse of amphetamine and its synthetic derivatives have been documented but are rather rare. Amphetamine-related AMI is even rarer. We report two cases of men who came to emergency department (ED) with chest pain, palpitation, or seizure and were subsequently found to have myocardial infarction associated with the use of amphetamines. It is crucial that, with increase in amphetamine abuse, clinicians are aware of this potentially dire complication. Patients with low to intermediate risk for coronary artery disease with atypical presentation may benefit from obtaining detailed substance abuse history and urine drug screen if deemed necessary.
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PMID:Amphetamine Abuse Related Acute Myocardial Infarction. 2699 66

The development of methamphetamine-associated cardiomyopathy (MACM) represents a severe complication of chronic methamphetamine abuse. MACM-induced irreversible structural and functional changes in the heart can eventually lead to decompensated heart failure, ultimately requiring heart transplantation. In this case report we present a 47-year old male with a previous history of chronic amphetamine abuse who presented to the emergency room with severe dyspnea at rest associated with mild substernal non-radiating chest pain. He denied any previous cardiac history but had a positive urinary toxicology for methamphetamine. A complete cardiac workup ruled out all other etiologies. The patient required a 3-week intensive pharmacotherapy intervention to stabilize acute heart failure symptoms. At discharge he was classified as having New York Association Class III (NYHA-III) heart failure. His medical symptoms did not improve and he was considered for heart transplantation. With the increase in availability and abuse of methamphetamine, case of MACM such as ours are more frequently being encountered in the emergency departments. In addition to raising awareness, our case provides an outline of how MACM patients likely may present and the subsequent morbid sequela. Clinicians should maintain a high degree of suspicion when assessing all patients with a history of methamphetamine abuse. Early cardiac evaluation can help identify ventricular compromise in asymptomatic patients providing an opportunity to intervene prior to the development of irreversible MACM.
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PMID:Methamphetamine-Induced Cardiomyopathy (MACM) in a Middle-Aged Man; a Case Report. 2950 34