Aim: To describe the involvement of cocaine in cerebral vascular pathology in young patients.
Patients and methods: The work consists in a descriptive study of the role of cocaine in patients with acute stroke under the age of 50 years admitted to the neurology service over a period of four years. Eighteen patients with positive levels of cocaine on admission and 79 patients with negative levels were analysed. Different variables that define the profile of vascular risk, characteristics of the stroke and the morbidity and mortality associated to them are collected and analysed.
Results: Males were predominant and there was a non-significant higher proportion of vascular risk factors in the control group (55.6% versus 64.6%). The group of consumers presented a significantly lower mean age (35.2 ± 8.9 versus 41.5 ± 7.7 years), higher consumption of toxic substances (tobacco, alcohol and cannabis), hyperCKemia (27.8% versus 5.1%) and psychiatric disorders (16.7% versus 3.8%) (p < 0.05). The ischaemic stroke in the anterior territory subtype was predominant in both groups. There was a clear tendency towards normality in complementary tests and a higher rate of complications (33.3% versus 15.2%) and mortality (11.1% versus 3.8%) among consumers (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: Cocaine is a risk factor that must be taken into account in young adults: it is associated to stroke at earlier ages than is considered normal, with a tendency towards normality in complementary tests and a higher rate of hospital morbidity and mortality.