PPH Class Action: Drop a Few Pounds, Forfeit a Few Years

Washington, DCThere's nothing worse than finding out ten years after the fact that a diet pill you took briefly may be the cause of PPH symptoms. The fact these diet pills and appetite suppressants were deemed safe at the time provides the gist for PPH class action lawsuits, which are continuing to gather steam.

PPH is the acronym for Primary Pulmonary Hypertension—and no, it has nothing to do with pulling a muscle or hyper extending a ligament playing tennis. PPH is much more serious than that.

It is, in fact a rare lung disorder in which the blood pressure in the pulmonary artery shoots up without just cause, although the abnormally high blood pressure is linked with changes in the small blood vessels in the lungs, which appear to narrow and increases resistance to blood flowing through them. This increased resistance, in turn, puts a strain on the right ventricle of the heart.

Thus, even though PPH is a lung disorder, it does have an affect on the heart. And sadly, this can affect people of any age—even young children. By and large, however, the majority of cases appear to affect women between the ages of 20 and 40.

The good news is that there have been advancements in PPH therapy over the last decade that not only improves the chance for an accurate diagnosis, but various treatment options have come into play. For example, roughly a quarter of PPH patients can be treated with calcium channel-blocking drugs. Other aids, such as anticoagulants can discourage blood clots, allowing blood to flow more freely. Diuretics can reduce the amount of fluid in the body, which eases the work required by the heart.

And new drugs are also being tested in clinical trials, in an effort to further the chance for increased treatment options, and the potential eradication of PPH.

However, eradication is not likely to happen until there is a known cause. At present, there isn't, but there are known contributing factors, not the least of which were various appetite-suppressants now banned and off the market, and suspected of playing a role in the narrowing of the pulmonary artery.

The latter is a significant issue. Redux (dexfenfluramine), Pondimin (fenfluramine) and Fen-Phen (fenfluramine and phentermine) were widely used and considered safe, until
a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 1996 found that the use of Fen-Phen for three months or longer increased the risk of developing PPH by 23%.

A year later the US Food and Drug Administration pulled Redux, Pondimin and Fen-Phen from the market.

By then, the damage had already been done and to a whopping six, to seven million consumers worldwide. What's even more frustrating is the potential for a slow, and gradual emergence of the disease. Onset of PPH and the presentation of symptoms have been known to lag for upwards of ten years. Thus, a Fen-Phen or other diet drug user, having used the appetite suppressant for as little as three months a decade ago, might only now be experiencing signs of PPH.

The initial symptoms of PPH can include weakness, fatigue, shortness of breath, chest pain, dizzy spells and fainting.

Advanced symptoms of PPH, due to delayed diagnosis, can include bluish lips and skin, ankle and lower leg swelling, increased chest pain, and even death.

Given the mystery that continues to dog PPH, it's little wonder that PPH patients are grasping for whatever answers they can find. And so far, the only answer they have is that Fen-Phen taken for three months or longer delivered a risk for PPH of 23 per cent.

Not surprising is the emergence of so many PPH class-action lawsuits.

The most damning thing of all is the thought that an appetite suppressant you may have taken briefly—a mere 90 days—ten years ago, may be coming back to haunt you now.
Something deemed safe at the time.

Something that now, ten years later, is threatening to shorten your life.

In the US, anywhere from 500 to 1000 new cases of PPH are diagnosed every year.