For the research, professor John Henry of Imperial College London anonymously tested the urine of 450 men under the age of 30 who visited the emergency department at St. Mary's Hospital complaining of chest pains.

Henry, one of the country's leading drugs experts, found that one in three of the men tested had used cocaine.

According to Henry, the majority of cocaine users are unaware of the serious health risks linked to using cocaine. Cocaine use puts massive pressure on the heart, which is why doctors are seeing more young people whose hearts resemble people twice their age.

"The public image it has is of being something recreational and mild, which is very far from the truth," said Henry.

Cocaine use in Britain has increased in recent years because of a drop in its price. According to findings from the British Crime Survey, cocaine use rose by 30 percent in one year. In addition, deaths associated with cocaine increased to 95 last year from 18 in 1996.

The study's findings are expected to be published in the British Medical Journal later this year.

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