Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41465334›Full record

ReviewInternational journal of molecular sciences2025

Methamphetamine-Associated Cardiomyopathy and Cardioembolic Stroke: Brain-Heart-Gut Axis Crosstalk, Diagnostic Strategies, and Anticoagulation Challenges.

Pei-Jung Lin, Chia-Hui Wu, Jen-Hung Huang, Jakir Hossain Bhuiyan Masud, Chien-Tai Hong, Lung Chan, Chen-Chih Chung

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in International journal of molecular sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Pei-Jung LinDepartment of Neurology, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei 235, Taiwan.ORCID 0009-0005-4886-8815
Chia-Hui WuDepartment of Neurology, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei 235, Taiwan.
Jen-Hung HuangDivision of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Wan Fang Hospital, Taipei Medical University, Taipei 116, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0001-6541-6320
Jakir Hossain Bhuiyan MasudDepartment of Biomedical Informatics and Data Science, The University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-4542-3862
Chien-Tai HongDepartment of Neurology, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei 235, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0002-7448-1041
Lung ChanDepartment of Neurology, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei 235, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0001-5795-4460
Chen-Chih ChungDepartment of Neurology, Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, New Taipei 235, Taiwan.ORCID 0000-0001-6743-6667

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Methamphetamine (MA) abuse has emerged as a multisystem insult driving cardiovascular and neurovascular consequences. Methamphetamine-associated cardiomyopathy (MACM) remains an underrecognized cause of cardioembolic stroke through left ventricular thrombus (LVT) formation. MA-induced gut dysbiosis and enteric neural disruption exacerbate systemic inflammation and autonomic imbalance, resulting in broader dysregulation of the brain-heart-gut axis. This study aimed to synthesize contemporary evidence on chronic MA exposure and its role in LVT formation, stroke pathogenesis, diagnostic approaches, and anticoagulation management. We conducted a focused narrative review of PubMed- and Scopus-indexed literature (1990-2025) addressing cardiovascular, neurovascular, and gut-mediated consequences of chronic MA exposure. Observational cohorts and case reports were integrated to characterize pathophysiology, imaging approaches, and therapeutic considerations, supplemented by a representative clinical case. Chronic MA exposure mediates persistent catecholamine excess, myocardial fibrosis, ventricular dysfunction, and a prothrombotic milieu. Gut dysbiosis-related inflammation and autonomic dysregulation further promote intracardiac stasis. Affected individuals are typically young men with severe systolic dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction 20-30%), with a substantial proportion demonstrating apical or mural LVT on systematic imaging. Case-level evidence highlights a broader systemic embolic burden, involving the limbs, kidneys, and aorta. Echocardiography remains the first-line screening method, while cardiac CT and MRI offer greater sensitivity for thrombus detection. Anticoagulation is challenged by bleeding risk, inconsistent adherence, and the absence of standardized protocols. MACM represents a critical and underrecognized etiology of cardioembolic stroke in young adults. Early recognition of brain-heart-gut axis disruption, systematic cardiac imaging, and individualized anticoagulation are crucial for preventing emboli. Prospective registries and standardized imaging-guided treatment strategies are needed to improve outcomes in this high-risk population.

Indexed as

AnticoagulantsCardiomyopathiesEmbolic StrokeMethamphetamineBrainGastrointestinal MicrobiomeHeartHumansMaleAnticoagulantsMethamphetamineanticoagulationbrain–heart–gut axiscardiomyopathydiagnosisleft ventricular thrombusmethamphetaminestroke

Identifiers

PMID41465334
PMCPMC12732741

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.