COCAINE'S PERIL TO THE HEART EXPLAINED

MEDICINE: The drug increases red cell count and promotes blood clotting,new
study finds.

CHICAGO -- Cocaine use can promote blood clotting, which may explain how
the drug triggers heart attacks in its users, according to a new study.

Cocaine caused blood to thicken by increasing the number of red blood
cells, and by triggering an increase in a protein that causes platelets to
stick together, said Dr. Arthur Siegel, the study's lead author.

The "double whammy" can cause clotting that can lead to heart attacks and
strokes, said Siegel, chief of internal medicine at McLean Hospital outside
Boston.

"(Cocaine use) is even more dangerous than we had previously known," he
said. "Every time a person uses it, it's like a little bit of Russian
roulette."

A study released in June had shown that cocaine users are 24 times more
likely to have a heart attack during the first hour after taking the drug.
The new study, which appears in today's issue of the Archives of Internal
Medicine, may help explain why such heart attacks occur, Siegel said.

The study suggests that anticoagulants may be useful in treating
cocaine-induced chest pains, Siegel said. And he said it provides further
warning to athletes who might use cocaine or substances with a similar
effect in an attempt to enhance performance.

Siegel acknowledged that the study's small sample size made the conclusions
preliminary, and he suggested further study.

The study measured changes in the blood in 21 people before and for 60
minutes after they sniffed a moderate amount of cocaine or received it
intravenously. Red blood cell counts on average increased 4 percent to 6
percent after individuals ingest the spleen to constrict, pumping more red
blood cells into the system, Siegel said.

The thickened blood must circulate through constricted vessels, creating a
potentially dangerous situation, Siegel said. Previous studies have shown
that cocaine use causes blood vessels to narrow.