# Increased risk of cardiomyopathy in individuals with methamphetamine related disorders in Taiwan

## TL;DR

This study finds that methamphetamine use significantly increases the future risk of cardiomyopathy, with higher risks for women and older individuals.

## Contribution

The study identifies a strong association between methamphetamine-related disorders and cardiomyopathy risk using a large-scale longitudinal database in Taiwan.

## Key findings

- Patients with methamphetamine-related disorders had a 3.421-fold higher risk of cardiomyopathy compared to those without.
- Women and individuals aged 50–64 and 65+ showed significantly higher cardiomyopathy risks.
- Higher Charlson Comorbidity Index scores correlated with increased cardiomyopathy risk.

## Abstract

To explore whether Methamphetamine-related disorders (MRDs) will cause the risk of cardiomyopathy in the future. This study used Taiwan’s Longitudinal Generation Tracking Database (LGTD) to conduct a 1:4 paired analysis of sex, age, and inclusion year. 17,071 patients with MRDs and 153 patients with cardiomyopathy were selected; 68,264 patients without MRDs and 274 patients with cardiomyopathy were also selected. This study used SPSS 22 statistical software to conduct Cox regression analysis. Patients with MRDs had a 3.421-folds higher risk of cardiomyopathy than patients without MRDs. Men have a 0.735-fold lower risk of developing cardiomyopathy than women. In terms of age group, aged 50–64 and ≧ 65 have a 1.145- and 1.332-folds higher risk of cardiomyopathy, respectively, compared to those aged 20–49. For each one-point increase in Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), the risk of cardiomyopathy rises by 58.3%. Specifically, for three types of Methamphetamines (Methamphetamine and other psychostimulant dependence, Methamphetamine or related acting sympathomimetic abuse, Methamphetamine psychosis), the HR for cardiomyopathy in patients with MRDs was 3.864 (p < 0.001), 2.916 (p < 0.001), and 2.295 (p = 0.016) times higher, respectively, compared to patients without MRDs. The Kaplan-Meier log-rank test was used to calculate the cumulative risk of MRDs, showing a significant difference in the cumulative cardiomyopathy incidence between the MRDs and non-MRDs groups (long-rank test, p < 0.001). MRDs will increase the risk of cardiomyopathy. Women are more susceptible to cardiomyopathy than men, and the risk escalates for individuals aged 50–64 and those 65 years or older, compared to the 20–49-year age group. Additionally, an increase in the CCI correlates with a heightened risk of cardiomyopathy. There are important differences between these groups in terms of duration, frequency, and severity of use, with longer exposure and more frequent use increasing the risk of dependence and psychosis, but individual susceptibility, dose, and use patterns also play key roles.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-94591-0.