Neurologic Consequences of Cocaine Use

Neurologic consequences of cocaine use frequently present as medical emergencies in the form of stroke, repeated seizures, encephalopathy, acute headache, and unusual transient neurological deficits. The often fatal or disabling neurologic syndromes have only recently been recognized but are now well documented. Cocaine use is a significant cause of stroke in young adults, and the full, long-term ramifications of maternal cocaine use on the fetus will not be known for years to come. Unfortunately, there is not effective treatment other than abstinence, and our understanding of the pathophysiology of cocaine-associated neurologic illness remains limited.