Methamphetamine Use Linked to 1 in 6 Heart Attacks: Study

Meth users were found to be twice as likely to die following a heart attack than non-users, said a study author.

A Mexican Army expert shows crystal meth paste at a clandestine laboratory near la Rumorosa town in Tecate, Baja California state, Mexico, on Aug. 28, 2018. Guillermo Arias/AFP via Getty Images

The use of methamphetamines was associated with around 1 in 6 heart attacks among adults treated at a hospital in California, according to an April 29 statement from the American Heart Association (AHA).

The AHA’s claim is based on a peer-reviewed study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on April 29. The study assessed data of 1,309 patients aged 18–65, sourced from the Santa Clara Valley HealthCare system in Northern California, who experienced acute coronary syndrome (ACS) and underwent coronary angiography between 2012 and 2022.