"A lot of people were surprised that Whitney Houston --
according to the coroner's report -- had cardiovascular disease, but that was
not surprising to me, because we knew she had a least one major risk factor for
heart disease, cigarette smoking," said John Gordon Harold, MD, the
president-elect of the American College of Cardiology.
The coroner said Whitney Houston died from drowning in her
hotel bathtub in February, which may not have surprised those who have followed
her sad history of substance abuse. But the coroner also noted that significant
heart disease was a contributing factor in her death.Houston had
atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque in her arteries — a condition often
associated with age and obesity.
Yet heart disease, doctors say, is a frequent consequence of
abusing drugs, alcohol and tobacco. The coroner's report noted the presence of
cocaine, marijuana and prescription drugs in Houston, who also was reported to
be a smoker and a drinker. What exactly is atherosclerotic heart disease, and
how does cocaine contribute to it? Heart
and addiction specialists weigh in below.
Atherosclerotic heart disease is a condition in which plaque
hardens in the arteries and narrows them, according to the National Heart Lung
and Blood Institute. This limits the
flow of oxygen-rich blood to the organs and other parts of the body and can
lead to serious problems including heart attack, stroke and death.
When a person engages in cocaine use on top of suffering
from advanced atherosclerotic heart disease, the impact on the heart can be
devastating. Cocaine use increases heart
rate, blood pressure and causes the blood vessels to constrict, reducing the
supply of blood to the heart.
Atherosclerotic heart disease occurs when the arteries going
to the heart and other organs are hardened because of plaque build-up within
the arteries. Atherosclerosis can lead to stroke, heart attack and death, the
National Heart Lung and Blood Institute explains.
Atherosclerosis can develop into coronary heart disease,
which is the No. 1 killer of American men and women, according to the National
Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Chronic kidney disease, peripheral arterial
disease and carotid artery disease are other conditions that can be caused by
atherosclerosis.
Symptoms of atherosclerosis can be hard to spot, since mild
atherosclerosis typically doesn't have any signs, the Mayo Clinic reported.
However, if the arteries are seriously clogged and hardened, the blood clot
that forms in the artery can break, thereby leading to a heart attack or
stroke.
Chronic heavy drinking makes the heart work increasingly
harder to pump blood, and that enlarges the muscle. "The bigger it gets,
the less blood it pumps and the more it tries to compensate by getting even
larger," said Denisco. The end result is usually congestive heart failure.
Alcohol abuse can also affect the heart's electrical system,
resulting in arrhythmia, an abnormal heartbeat. Alcohol and drug abuse are also
associated with abnormal clot formation, which can lead to blood vessel
blockages, heart attack and stroke.
Prescription painkillers, among the most abused substances
today, don't cause the same damage to the heart. Instead these sedating drugs
cause problems with breathing, which is why an overdose is potentially fatal.
Past celebrities who've died from atherosclerosis-related
heart disease include Tim Russert, of TV news fame, who died in 2008 of a heart
attack brought on by his atherosclerosis at age 58; and Chris Farley, a
comedian, who died in 1997 of from accidental overdose of cocaine and morphine.
(ed.bj/lmh)
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