Heroin, an opiate, is related to morphine, a narcotic painkiller first extracted from the opium poppy in 1802. Users typically snort, smoke or inject heroin into one of their veins, which tend to collapse over time. After an initial “rush,” heroin produces a relaxed effect on the entire body, lowering blood pressure and slowing both breathing and pulse (heart rate).

The person may develop  a bluish tint to the skin, lips, fingernails and other body parts because of a lack of oxygen-rich blood circulating through the slowed bodily system. Heroin is extremely addictive, because it rapidly replaces chemical in the brain that are responsible for mood. Regular users will go into withdrawal if the drug is out of their system for only a short time.

According to the 2003 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), nearly 4 million people have used heroin at some point in their lives. Heroin users face a serious risk of overdose, and in 2002, there were nearly 94,000 heroin-related cases in U.S. emergency rooms. The rate of deaths from heroin overdose is currently on the rise, according to a 2000 article published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, a publication of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Heroin users face potential problems with their cardiovascular system, such as:

Some of the more damaging side effects of heroin abuse are associated with the injection of the drug. Infectious diseases including hepatitis and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV/AIDS) can be  transmitted by sharing needles. These diseases can have devastating cardiovascular effects.

Heroin is dangerous to everyone, and heart patients are especially urged to avoid using the drug because of its life-threatening risk.