Cocaine is a very dangerous drug. Medical professionals report that the cardiovascular system is most at risk when individuals use cocaine.  It is possible to have a fatal heart attack after taking cocaine a single time.  They may experience a ruptured aorta, cell death or even an angina. Besides being a threat to the cardiovascular system, cocaine can also lead to strokes, liver damage and failure.

Cocaine can potentially cause so much heart damage is because it restricts the blood vessels.  As a result, the heart begins to speed up and a person's blood pressure increases fast and at once.  This can cause a change in a person's heart rhythms, resulting in death.

Individuals that have any type of heart disease and/or narrowed arteries are at an even greater risk of cocaine related death because the drug will cause the arteries to further constrict. Cocaine deaths due to the cardiovascular system failing is not something that just happens to older users.  Even young people that are completely healthy can succumb to a heart attack because they use cocaine.  This is thought to be because oxygenated blood becomes shut off or reduced to the heart.  This can lead to cell death and heart damage.

Another risk associated with cocaine use is drowning. A person's lungs can fill up with fluid after using and they can subsequently die.  Seizures are also a risk. These may occur when cocaine is mixed up with another type of drug. It is hard to determine their cause but they do happen and can be dangerous.

Taking cocaine while pregnant is another very high risk behavior. This can cause harm to both the mother and her unborn child. A baby can be born too early, he or she may not get adequate oxygen, the placenta can become detached from the mother's womb and the child could die.  Babies that do make it to birth may be under weight and may have neurological problems.