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Study: Fen-Phen can cause heart disease
July 8, 1997
Web posted at: 2:58 p.m. EDT (1858 GMT)ROCHESTER, Minnesota (CNN) -- The popular diet drug Fen-Phen can cause heart disease in some patients, Mayo Clinic researchers said Tuesday.
The finding, which was unexpected, will be published in the August 28 edition of New England Journal of Medicine. In an unusual move, the editors of the journal said they decided to release the information early given the impact on public health.
A L S O :
Full text of the report:
Valvular heart disease associated with fenfluramine-phentermine
The study documents the cases of 24 women living in the upper Midwest with no history of heart problems. The women had taken Fen-Phen for six to 18 months and experienced a deterioration in the valves of their hearts. Five of them had surgery to replace the valves. When the surgeons examined the defective valves they discovered the valves were covered with an unusual white coating.
Heart-valve deterioration is considered a serious condition that sometimes requires surgery. It can be a silent condition causing no symptoms for years until it becomes severe. If untreated it can lead to congestive heart failure.
Fen-Phen is a combination of two drugs -- fenfluramine, an appetite suppressant, and phentermine, a mild stimulant. When combined they create a powerful diet drug.
Before Tuesday's announcement, primary pulmonary hypertension, a serious lung disease, was the only known serious side effect of Fen-Phen. Pulmonary hypertension is a disorder in which the arteries supplying the heart have an abnormally high blood pressure. Patients become short of breath, and heart failure can follow, then death.
In 1996, there were 18 million prescriptions written for Fen-Phen in the United States.
- Fitness special:Dieting
- Consumer News: Fitness and Health - Obesity
- Consumer News: Fitness and Health - Heart
Related stories:
- Who needs Thighmaster? - April 15, 1997
- Despite advances, 'magic pill' eludes dieters - January 31, 1997
- Dieters rah-rah over fen-phen - December 17, 1996
Related sites:
Note: Pages will open in a new browser window
- Mayo Clinic & Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- New England Journal of Medicine - - weekly on-line version of the NEJM
- Fen-Phen FAQ - site developed by the leading FEN/PHEN proponent and practitioner, Dr. Pietr Hitzig
- Fen-Phen, Side Effects - from California Weight Loss Associates
- Food and Drug Administration
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