People diagnosed with cocaine- and opioid-use disorders are more susceptible to developing endocarditis, a condition that damages the lining of the heart valves and chambers, according to research from the Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health.
The incidence rate of infective endocarditis - a rare but often fatal inflammation of the heart valves - among patients with cocaine use disorder or opioid use disorder increased from 2011 to 2022, with the steepest increase occurring from 2021 to 2022, a new study reports.
TUESDAY, Dec. 13, 2022 (HealthDay News) Researchers already knew that injecting drugs can lead to the dangerous and deadly heart infection called endocarditis.
Jan Scruggs, who survived the Vietnam War but nearly lost his life due to a serious heart condition several years later, is sharing his story to raise awareness about heart health.