The New York Times reported May 10 that a study found that aneurysms occurred in 30.4 percent of cocaine users in their mid-40s, compared to 7.6 percent of nonusers.

Researchers noted that the ballooning of coronary arteries could cause heart attacks years after the end of cocaine use. For example, the study cited the case of a 38-year-old man who had multiple aneurysms and no history of atherosclerosis, but had used cocaine for two years while in his 20s.

The authors did not estimate how much drug use was related to aneurysm development, but said that frequency of use was a factor. "The risk was definitely more common in people who used cocaine at least once a week," said study co-author Timothy D. Henry, research director at the Minneapolis Heart Institute Foundation.

Researchers speculated that cocaine use weakens artery walls by causing surge in blood pressure and damaging cells.

The study was published in the May 2005 issue of the journal Circulation.

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