Acute Coronary Syndrome and Recreational Drug Use: A Comprehensive Review.

Abstract

Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) remains a leading cause of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although traditional cardiovascular risk factors remain central to ACS development, recreational drug use is increasingly recognized as a clinically relevant trigger, particularly in younger patients with fewer conventional risk factors. This narrative review synthesized evidence identified through searches of PubMed/MEDLINE and Scopus up to June 2026, including clinical guidelines, systematic reviews, observational studies, mechanistic investigations, and clinically informative case-based evidence. Cannabis, cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamine, 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA), opioids, lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD), synthetic cannabinoids, and polysubstance use may promote myocardial ischemia and infarction through overlapping mechanisms, including sympathetic activation, coronary vasospasm, endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress, inflammation, platelet activation, thrombosis, arrhythmogenesis, and myocardial oxygen supply-demand mismatch. Clinical presentation may be typical or atypical and may overlap with intoxication, withdrawal, anxiety, neurological symptoms, or non-cardiac chest pain, making diagnosis challenging. Underreporting of recreational drug use is common, and targeted toxicology screening may improve diagnostic accuracy and risk stratification, particularly in patients younger than 50 years, those with few traditional cardiovascular risk factors, or those presenting with otherwise unexplained ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), coronary vasospasm, arrhythmias, or cardiac arrest. Acute management should generally follow standard ACS guidelines, while considering drug-specific issues such as stimulant-induced vasospasm, sympathetic excess, cautious use of beta-blockers during acute intoxication, and preference for primary percutaneous coronary intervention when fibrinolysis carries increased risk. Long-term care should combine evidence-based secondary prevention with substance-use counseling, addiction medicine referral, cardiac rehabilitation, and behavioural interventions. This review summarizes the pathophysiology, clinical manifestations, epidemiology, treatment considerations, preventive strategies, and knowledge gaps related to recreational drug-associated ACS.

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