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Medical complications of cocaine: possible relationship to low plasma cholinesterase enzyme
1Department of Internal Medicine, Medical College of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond 23298.
American Heart Journal
|April 1, 1993
Abstract:
What predisposes some cocaine users to its complications is not known. Because cocaine is metabolized by plasma cholinesterase enzyme, we evaluated this enzyme in 14 patients with cocaine-induced complications, 11 long-term cocaine users from Bolivia, 14 persons in the United States without any documented cocaine-induced complications, and 14 subjects who have not used cocaine. The enzyme was found to be significantly lower in patients with cocaine-induced complications as compared to other groups (p < 0.05). A low level of plasma cholinesterase enzyme may predict complications from cocaine use.