Drinking excessive energy drinks could be linked to a young man’s heart failure, according to doctors who treated a 21-year-old who consumed four cans a day for two years.
Writing in the latest BMJ Case Reports, the authors warn the case adds to the growing body of published evidence on the potential heart harms of these drinks.
Their report reveals the man was admitted to intensive care after experiencing four months of progressive shortness of breath on exertion, orthopnoea, and weight loss.
He told medics he had previously suffered bouts of indigestion, tremor and palpitations and in the three months before he was admitted to hospital, he had to discontinue his university studies because he felt so unwell and lethargic.
The patient was found to have both heart and kidney failure, which were severe enough for him to be considered for a dual organ transplant.
He is still likely to need a kidney transplant because of an unrelated condition, but his heart symptoms and function improved with drug treatment and after he stopped consuming energy drinks.
The authors, led by Dr Andrew D’Silva, of St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK, warn that overstimulation of the sympathetic nervous system by caffeine could be a factor because energy drinks can raise blood pressure and trigger heart rhythm abnormalities.
“Clear warnings should be provided about the potential cardiovascular dangers of energy drink consumption in large amounts,” they conclude.
* The British Heart Foundation today calls on the UK government to implement proposals to restrict “junk food” advertising.
It warns that excess weight and obesity contributes to about 31,000 cardiovascular disease deaths every year.
Fisk G, Hammond-Haley M, D’Silva A. Energy drink-induced cardiomyopathy. BMJ Case Reports 16 April 2021; doi 10.1136/bcr-2020-239370
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