BRAIN HEMORRHAGE

The brain is another organ that may be injured as the result of the vascular constriction produced by cocaine.  When blood vessels constrict, the heart or brain tissue dies from lack of blood.  When the constriction eases, these damaged vessels leak blood into the surrounding tissue.  We then see areas of hemorrhage (bleeding).

If the injury caused by the cocaine is not fatal, and the damaged areas of the heart or brain heal, the end result is the same as if the person had a heart attack or a stroke.

In this case, a cocaine user was found to have old and new hemorrhages in his brain.  These were presumably the result of cocaine use.

The picture is a cross section of that brain.  Notice the large areas of hemorrhage at the lower left.  Contrast these to the older areas of hemorrhage in the upper right of the picture.  In the older areas, the dead brain tissue has turned a brown color and is being reabsorbed, leaving only an empty cavity where brain used to be.

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