Cure8 research brief
Cocaine use can trigger severe GI problems that mimic common surgical and inflammatory conditions; recognizing the link can speed diagnosis and management. Most published evidence is low-level (case reports/series), so the true frequency and risk factors are not well quantified.
Clinicians evaluating acute abdominal pain or ischemic GI presentations, researchers studying substance-related organ injury, and adult patients (or caregivers) with substance-use exposure and GI symptoms.
The review links cocaine’s sympathomimetic and pro-thrombotic effects to GI injury through vasospasm, endothelial dysfunction, thrombosis, ischemia, and direct mucosal toxicity.
Reported complications include mesenteric and colonic ischemia, ischemic and hemorrhagic colitis, peptic ulceration with perforation, enteritis/strictures, splenic infarction or rupture, and hepatopancreatic injury.
The authors provide a diagnostic differential and algorithm and call for registry-based or multicenter comparative studies because current evidence is limited.
Clinical takeaway: Clinicians should consider recent cocaine use as a possible contributor in younger patients presenting with unexplained abdominal pain, ischemic features, or gastrointestinal bleeding, and account for polysubstance use (alcohol, tobacco) and vascular risk factors when assessing presentations.
This article is a narrative review that synthesizes case reports, series, and a small number of comparative studies through mid-2026; its conclusions emphasize limited-quality evidence and the need for better registry or multicenter data. The review notes common confounding by polysubstance use and pre-existing vascular disease.
Review the original publication for the complete reporting, methods, and context.
This Cure8 brief is based on source text from the linked article. Cure8 is informational only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
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