Prevalence of Methamphetamine Acute Coronary Syndrome Is 14.8 Percent

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By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, Senior Medical Editor, B. Pharm. Last updated on April 29, 2026.

via HealthDay

WEDNESDAY, April 29, 2026 -- The prevalence of methamphetamine-associated acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is 14.8 percent, and patients are generally younger men, according to a study published online April 29 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Susan X. Zhao, M.D., from Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose, California, and colleagues conducted a retrospective cohort study involving 1,309 patients aged 18 to 65 years who presented with ACS and underwent coronary angiography from 2012 to 2022 to examine the prevalence and outcomes of methamphetamine-associated ACS.

The researchers identified 194 patients with methamphetamine-associated ACS, for a prevalence of 14.8 percent. Compared with the 1,115 patients with ACS without methamphetamine use, patients with methamphetamine-associated ACS were generally younger men (median age, 52 versus 57 years). Patients with methamphetamine-associated ACS more often had nonobstructive coronary diseases (24.2 versus 10.6 percent). These patients also experienced significantly lower survival, despite being younger and having a lower burden of traditional risk factors; this pattern persisted after adjustment for confounders. The strongest independent predictor of all-cause mortality was methamphetamine use in multivariable Cox regression, with an adjusted hazard ratio of 2.08.

"We want to raise awareness that acute coronary syndrome and meth use affect different groups of people, such as young to middle-aged men without traditional risk factors," Zhao said in a statement. "These groups have different risk factors and health issues, and they also can have a higher chance of dying from them."

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

Source: HealthDay

Posted : 2026-04-30 02:19

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