KIDNEY VASCULAR DAMAGE AND COCAINE

Cardiovascular damage is common in young cocaine addicts, and similar atherosclerotic lesions seem likely in the kidneys. To confirm this hy pothesis, we performed histological examination of 40 kidney autopsy s pecimens classified as ''cocaine-related deaths''; as controls, kidney specimens of 40 road accident victims were examined. Semiquantitative analysis showed that the ratio of the number of glomeruli affected by hyalinosis to the total number of glomeruli was 0.09 +/- 0.13 in addi cts and 0.005 +/- 0.01 in controls; the difference was highly signific ant. The degree of periglomerular fibrosis was significantly higher in cocaine addicts than in accident victims. The ratio of glomeruli to t ubular casts was 0.15 +/- 0.17 in cocaine addicts and 0.17 +/- 0.18 in controls (not significant). The degree of interstitial cellular infil tration was significantly higher in addicts than controls. A monunucle ar cell infiltrate was observed prevalently in the medullary region. A rteriolar sclerosis was significantly higher in addicts than controls. Medial thickening, luminal narrowing and vessel obstruction were abse nt in the control group. Quantitative morphometric analysis of arteria l structure showed significantly greater lumen circumference, intima c ircumference, media circumference, intima area, media area, intima thi ckness and media thickness in cocaine addicts than in controls.