Cocaine and sudden death

More than 3% of sudden deaths in Europe are caused by cocaine use. Researchers at the Institute of Legal Medicine in Seville studied sudden deaths in South-West Spain between 2003 and 2006 and found that 3.1% of them were related to taking cocaine which can damage people's hearts and arteries. All of the sudden deaths due to taking cocaine were in men aged between 21 and 45, 81% of whom also smoked and 76% of whom had drunk alcohol as well as taking the drug. It is estimated that about 12 million Europeans use cocaine - about 3.7% of the total adult population between 15 and 64. More than 5% of adults in the U.K., Spain and Italy say they have taken cocaine at least once in their lives.

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http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE60C05P20100113?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true