Post Redux Pulmonary Hypretension---Dyspnea

Posted By  CCF Cardio MD-SGM on January 05, 1998 at 09:20:54:

In Reply to: Post Redux Pulmonary Hypretension---Dyspnea posted by Chuck G. on January 03, 1998 at 16:02:04:

:   Is there a chance that a person using Redux for a period of only 30 days
  could have developed PPH, or other cardio-pulmonary problems?

[CCF Cardio MD-SGM]

_
Dear Chuck,
As you know, the use of certain appetite suppressant medications  has been associated with the development of both primary pulmonary hypertension(PPH) as well as valvular heart disease.  A European study published in 1996 looked at the risk of developing PPH in patients taking medications such as Redux.  It concluded that the duration of drug use was strongly associated with the risk of PPH, with patients taking the medication less than three months at much lower risk than those who were treated for greater than three months.  Thus,  a person using Redux for a shorter period of time would, not surprisingly, have a lower risk of developing PPH than those on chronic therapy... greater than three months, for example.
These figures are relative risks, and describe patterns of disease in a larger group of patients who underwent therapy with Redux and similar medications.  An individual would do best to be assessed by their primary care physician, or perhaps a cardiologist, in order to perform a thorough physical examination and consider obtaining an echocardiogram.  
Information provided in the Heart Forum is for general purposes only.  Specific diagnoses and therapeutic recommendations can only be provided by your physician.