Doctors report that while they expect to see older generations of individuals come to the hospital with concerns about chest pain, it’s always been unusual to see young adults presenting with this problem. However, the increased levels of drug abuse have caused many young people to enter the hospital with symptoms that mimic those of a heart attack.
“We are seeing a big increase in the abuse of cocaine and heroin and we are now also seeing it show up in our hospitals,” said Tony Barden, regional drugs co-ordinator with the HSE South East in Ireland.
“Young people are now coming in with chest pains associated with drug misuse. This is an indication of heart and lung damage but we are just in our infancy where damage is concerned. The picture of just how serious the problem is will eventually become a lot clearer.” He expects that problems will only worsen as the years progress.
Barden also notes an increase in teens and young adults who drink excessively and then mix it with cocaine, which is quite a lethal combination. He hopes that in Ireland and other countries throughout the world, law enforcement will institute drug testing for motorists as well as alcohol testing, noting that the rate of alcohol abuse in many countries has gone down while the drug abuse rate has risen greatly.
