High incidence of primary pulmonary hypertension associated with appetite suppressants in Belgium

Primary pulmonary hypertension is a rare, progressive and incurable disease, which has been associated with the intake of appetite suppressant drugs. The importance of this association was evaluated in Belgium while this country still had no restriction on the prescription of appetite suppressants. Thirty-five patients with primary pulmonary hypertension and 85 matched controls were recruited over 32 months (1992-1994) in Belgium. Exposure to appetite-suppressants was assessed on the basis of hospital records and standardized interview. Twenty-three of the patients had previously taken appetite suppressants, mainly fenfluramines, as compared with only 5 of the controls (66 versus 6%, p<0.0001). Five patients died before the interview, all of them had taken appetite suppressants. In 8 patients the diagnosis of primary pulmonary hypertension was uncertain, 5 of them had taken appetite suppressants. The patients who had been exposed to appetite suppressants tended to be on average more severely ill, and to have a shorter median delay between onset of symptoms and diagnosis. A policy of unrestricted prescription of appetite suppressants may lead to a high incidence of associated primary pulmonary hypertension. Intake of appetite suppressants may accelerate the progression of the disease.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				R. T. Zamanian, G. Hansmann, S. Snook, D. Lilienfeld, K. M. Rappaport, G. M. Reaven, M. Rabinovitch, and R. L. Doyle Insulin resistance in pulmonary arterial hypertension Eur. Respir. J., February 1, 2009; 33(2): 318 - 324. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				C. Blanpain, E. Le Poul, J. Parma, C. Knoop, M. Detheux, M. Parmentier, G. Vassart, and M. J Abramowicz Serotonin 5-HT2B receptor loss of function mutation in a patient with fenfluramine-associated primary pulmonary hypertension Cardiovasc Res, December 1, 2003; 60(3): 518 - 528. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				M.J. Abramowicz, P. Van Haecke, M. Demedts, and M. Delcroix Primary pulmonary hypertension after amfepramone (diethylpropion) with BMPR2 mutation Eur. Respir. J., September 1, 2003; 22(3): 560 - 562. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W Budts, N Van Pelt, H Gillyns, M Gewillig, F Van de Werf, and S Janssens Residual pulmonary vasoreactivity to inhaled nitric oxide in patients with severe obstructive pulmonary hypertension and Eisenmenger syndrome Heart, November 1, 2001; 86(5): 553 - 558. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				Ph. Camus, P. Foucher, Ph. Bonniaud, and K. Ask Drug-induced infiltrative lung disease Eur. Respir. J., July 1, 2001; 18(32_suppl): 93S - 100s. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. E. Lilienfeld and L. J. Rubin Mortality From Primary Pulmonary Hypertension in the United States, 1979-1996 Chest, March 1, 2000; 117(3): 796 - 800. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. Rich, L. Rubin, A. M. Walker, S. Schneeweiss, and L. Abenhaim Anorexigens and Pulmonary Hypertension in the United States: Results From the Surveillance of North American Pulmonary Hypertension Chest, March 1, 2000; 117(3): 870 - 874. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A J Peacock Rare diseases bullet 5: Primary pulmonary hypertension Thorax, December 1, 1999; 54(12): 1107 - 1118. [Full Text]