[Cerebral infarction due to bacterial emboli associated with methamphetamine abuse]

The number of stimulant-drug addicts has recently been on the rise again, and they are being increasingly encountered in the emergency room. There are also frequent reports of cerebrovascular disorders complicating drug toxicity. These cerebrovascular disorders have included subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracranial hematoma, and a few cases of cerebral infarction. Here, we report the case of a 37-year-old male with drug toxicity, consciousness disorder, and hyperthermia. He was in a coma with a temperature of 43.1 degrees C and blood pressure of 58/35 mmHg when brought to our hospital. His condition worse rapidly deteriorated, and he died the same day. Cerebral infarction caused by gram-positive bacillus embolism, not necrotizing angiitis, was found at autopsy. Because drug addicts, especially stimulant-drug addicts, tend to inject themselves drug under unsanitary conditions, the possibility of this type of complication is always present. This is the first such case ever reported, and is therefore regarded as a rare complication of stimulant-drug intoxication.