Legal Medicine
Volume 11, Issue 6 , Pages 294-297 , November 2009

A fatal case of myocardial damage due to misuse of the “designer drug” MDMA

  • Rie Sano

      Affiliations

    • Department of Legal Medicine, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan
    • ,
  • Toshikazu Hasuike

      Affiliations

    • Advanced Medical Emergency and Critical Care Center, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Maebashi 371-0014, Japan
    • ,
  • Minoru Nakano

      Affiliations

    • Advanced Medical Emergency and Critical Care Center, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Maebashi 371-0014, Japan
    • ,
  • Yoshihiko Kominato

      Affiliations

    • Department of Legal Medicine, Gunma University, Graduate School of Medicine, Maebashi 371-8511, Japan
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding author. Tel.: +81 27 220 8030; fax: +81 27 220 8035.
    • ,
  • Hideaki Itoh

      Affiliations

    • Department of Pathology and Clinical Laboratories, Maebashi Red Cross Hospital, Maebashi 371-0014, Japan

Received 23 April 2009 ,Revised 27 July 2009 ,Accepted 16 September 2009.

References 

  1. In:  Baselt RC editors. Disposition of toxic drugs and chemicals in man: methylenedioxymethamphetamine. 7th ed.. Foster City: Biomedical Publications; 2004;p. 723–725
  2. Milroy CM, Clark JC, Forrest ARW. Pathology of deaths associated with “ecstasy” and “eve”. J Clin Pathol. 1996;49:149–153
  3. Ellis AI, Wendon JA, Portmann B, Williams R. Acute liver damage and Ecstasy ingestion. Gut. 1996;38:454–458
  4. Greene SL, Dargan PI, O’connor N, Jones AL, Kerins M. Multiple toxicity from 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“Ecstasy”). Am J Emerg Med. 2003;21:121–124
  5. Henry JA, Jeffreys KJ, Dawling S. Toxicity and deaths from 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“ecstasy”). Lancet. 1992;340:384–387
  6. Kalant H. The pharmacology and toxicology of “ecstasy” (MDMA) and related drugs. CMAJ. 2001;165:917–928
  7. Varner KY, Delcarpio JB, Moerschbaecher JM. Cardiac toxicity elicited by repeated administration of 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). NIDA Res Monogr. 1998;179:214
  8. Carvalho M, Remião F, Milhazes N, Borges F, Fernandes E, Monteiro MC, et al. Metabolism is required for the expression of ecstasy-induced cardiotoxicity in vitro. Chem Res Toxicol. 2004;17:623–632
  9. Klys M, Rojek S, Woźniak K, Rzepecka-Woźniak E. Fatality due to the use of a designer drug MDMA (Ecstasy). Leg Med. 2007;9:185–191
  10. Martin TL, Chiasson DA, Kish SJ. Does hyperthyroidism increases risk of death due to the ingestion of Ecstasy?. J Forensic Sci. 2007;52:951–953
  11. Tuker GT, Lennard MS, Ellis SW, Woods HF, Cho AK, Lin LY, et al. The demethylation of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (“ecstasy”) by debrisoquine hydroxylase (CYP2D6). Biochem Pharmacol. 1994;47:1151–1156

PII: S1344-6223(09)00328-9

doi: 10.1016/j.legalmed.2009.09.003

Legal Medicine
Volume 11, Issue 6 , Pages 294-297 , November 2009

Article Tools

* Image Usage & Resolution