Rapid progression of coronary artery disease in the setting of chronic cocaine abuse.

Two cases of rapidly progressing coronary artery disease in the setting of chronic cocaine abuse are presented. One patient, a 39-year-old female, developed a significant left anterior descending artery (LAD) stenosis over a 10-month period and suffered an acute myocardial infarction (MI). The second patient, a 35-year-old male, developed significant progression of three vessel coronary artery disease (CAD) over 16 months and also suffered an MI temporally related to cocaine use. Though recent cocaine use is typically considered a risk factor for acute cardiac events, chronic use may contribute to the development or rapid progression of coronary artery disease in young patients.