[Cocaine-induced acute myocarditis]

Abstract

Cocaine is a potent sympathomimetic drug usually associated with cardiotoxicity, including ventricular arrhythmia, systemic hypertension and acute myocardial infarction. It constitutes the most frequent cause of drug-related death reported by medical examiners in the US, and these events are most often related to the cardiovascular manifestations of the drug. However; to the best of our knowledge; cocaine induced acute myocarditis has very rarely been reported. We describe the case of a 19 year-old male regular user of marijuana and cocaine who was admitted for a suspicion on an acute lateral-wall myocardial infarction and in whom the final diagnosis of acute cocaine myocarditis has been made. We report diagnosis modalities and evolution.

Keywords: Cocaine; IRM; MRI; Myocardite; Myocarditis.