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. Not the only side effect 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.
Connolly said she and her associates conducted the research because they noticed a pattern of heart damage in patients taking the drug. On routine doctor visits, the women were found to have cardiovascular symptoms or heart murmurs after having taken the weight-loss medications for an average of one year. Reuters contributed to this report. Inc. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you.