Cocaine and Body Temperature Regulation
Authors: Joshua G. Schier
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2002)

Letters19 November 2002Cocaine and Body Temperature RegulationJoshua G. Schier, MD, Robert S. Hoffman, MD, and Lewis S. Nelson, MDJoshua G. Schier, MDNYC Poison Control Center; New York, NY 10016 (Schier, Hoffman, Nelson)Search for more papers by this author, Robert S. Hoffman, MDNYC Poison Control Center; New York, NY 10016 (Schier, Hoffman, Nelson)Search for more papers by this author, and Lewis S. Nelson, MDNYC Poison Control Center; New York, NY 10016 (Schier, Hoffman, Nelson)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-137-10-200211190-00017 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read with interest the article by Crandall and colleagues (1), in which the authors concluded that impaired heat dissipation is a major mechanism by which cocaine elevates body temperature. Although the study objectively demonstrates an increase in body temperature and a reduction in sweat volume, the extrapolation of these results to patients with clinical cocaine toxicity may be unjustified. The small experimental dose of cocaine caused minimal changes in heart rate, mean arterial pressure, and esophageal temperature not reflective of true cocaine poisoning. Moreover, both in patients with cocaine toxicity and in experimental models, it is ...References1. Crandall CG, Vongpatanasin W, Victor RG. Mechanism of cocaine-induced hyperthermia in humans. Ann Intern Med. 2002;136:785-91. [PMID: 12044126] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Catravas JD, Waters IW. Acute cocaine intoxication in the conscious dog: studies on the mechanism of lethality. J Pharmacol Exp Ther. 1981;217:350-6. [PMID: 7229977] MedlineGoogle Scholar3. Guinn MM, Bedford JA, Wilson MC. Antagonism of intravenous cocaine lethality in nonhuman primates. Clin Toxicol. 1980;16:499-508. [PMID: 7408425] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Hollander JE, Hoffman RS. Cocaine.. In: Goldfrank LR, Flomenbaum NE, Lewin NA, Howland MA, Hoffman RS, Nelson L, eds. Goldfrank's Toxicologic Emergencies. 7th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002:1004-19. Google Scholar5. Flynn DD, Vaishnav AA, Mash DC. Interactions of cocaine with primary and secondary recognition sites on muscarinic receptors. Mol Pharmacol. 1992;41:736-42. [PMID: 1569924] MedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Joshua G. Schier, MD; Robert S. Hoffman, MD; Lewis S. Nelson, MDAffiliations: NYC Poison Control Center; New York, NY 10016 (Schier, Hoffman, Nelson) PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoMechanism of Cocaine-Induced Hyperthermia in Humans Craig G. Crandall , Wanpen Vongpatanasin , and Ronald G. Victor Cocaine and Body Temperature Regulation Craig G. Crandall , Wanpen Vongpatanasin , and Ronald G. Victor Metrics Cited byCocaineDRUGS OF ABUSECocaineDrugs of abuse 19 November 2002Volume 137, Issue 10Page: 855KeywordsAtropineCocaineExtrapolationHeart rateHyperthermiaMean arterial pressureSedativesSweatTemperatureToxicity ePublished: 19 November 2002 Issue Published: 19 November 2002 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2002 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...