BODY'S ABILITY TO COOL OFF IMPAIRED BY COCAINE USE

Cocaine overdose deaths have often been linked to the drug's ability to
raise the body temperature through a jolt to the metabolism. But a study
released recently reports that it is more complicated than that.

Not only does cocaine raise the body temperature, researchers wrote in the
Annals of Internal Medicine, it also diminishes the body's ability to cool
itself down. It even makes it hard for users to tell that they are overheating.

Even small amounts of cocaine, researchers found, impair the body's ability
to detect an increase in temperature and reduce its ability to cool down
through sweating and the dilation of blood vessels near the skin.

The researchers were prompted to explore the role of heat dissipation
because of the prevalence of cocaine deaths in hot weather, suggesting that
problems getting rid of heat might be a factor in the deaths.