Amphetamine-type stimulant-associated cardiomyopathy: a clinical case report

The use of methamphetamine and other amphetamine-type stimulants is increasing worldwide, resulting in significant increases in mortality and morbidity. Among the amphetamine-type stimulants, the toxic effects of methamphetamine on the neurological, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and renal organ systems are the best studied. Chronic use of amphetamines has shown that these substances have potentially significant cardiotoxic effects, which are caused by various mechanisms, including increased oxidative stress, excessive sympathetic activity, and direct myocardial toxic effects. Methamphetamine-associated cardiomyopathy and amphetamine-type stimulant-associated cardiomyopathy are both terms used interchangeably in the literature to describe this cardiovascular disease. Although the latter is not yet precisely defined, it should be considered an acquired cardiovascular disease characterized by otherwise unexplained cardiomyopathy during amphetamine exposure. The paper discusses a clinical case. The patient was hospitalized with acute ventricular dysfunction due to cardiomyopathy associated with amphetamine-type stimulants. The aim of the study is to study the role of amphetamine use in the development of heart failure in young people.