Pulmonary effects of dexfenfluramine

Abstract

Dexfenfluramine is a variation of fenfluramine which is used for weight reduction. The aim of the study is to determine the hemodynamic and structural effects of this drug on pulmonary circulation. An experimintal study was carried out with New Zealand Rabbits. A control group (n=30) and an experimintal group (n=20) was constituted. A four-week normal diet for control group and dexfenfluramine plus normala diet for experimental group were applied.Body weights and pulmonary artery pressures of groups were recorded and lungs were collected for pathologic examination. In experimintal group; Dexfenfluramine raised systolic pulmonary artery pressures significantly (p<0.01), whereas, there were no meaningful changes on diastolic and mean pulmonary artery pressures (p>0.05). Weight reduction was obvious (f= 8.522, p<0.01), in experimental group. There were marked histopathologic changes in ac-cordance with pulmonary hypertension. In addition, squamouse metaplasia (n=l) and tumorlet (n=3) formations were seen. The use of dexfenfluramine was associated with the development of primary pulmonary hypertension. Duration and dosage relations of the therapy and topical effects of the drug should be investigated with further studies. The reasons of tumorlet formation and squa-mouse metaplasia must be explained with new researches.

Dexfenfluramine is a variation of fenfluramine which is used for weight reduction. The aim of the study is to determine the hemodynamic and structural effects of this drug on pulmonary circulation. An experimintal study was carried out with New Zealand Rabbits. A control group (n=30) and an experimintal group (n=20) was constituted. A four-week normal diet for control group and dexfenfluramine plus normala diet for experimental group were applied.Body weights and pulmonary artery pressures of groups were recorded and lungs were collected for pathologic examination. In experimintal group; Dexfenfluramine raised systolic pulmonary artery pressures significantly (p<0.01), whereas, there were no meaningful changes on diastolic and mean pulmonary artery pressures (p>0.05). Weight reduction was obvious (f= 8.522, p<0.01), in experimental group. There were marked histopathologic changes in ac-cordance with pulmonary hypertension. In addition, squamouse metaplasia (n=l) and tumorlet (n=3) formations were seen. The use of dexfenfluramine was associated with the development of primary pulmonary hypertension. Duration and dosage relations of the therapy and topical effects of the drug should be investigated with further studies. The reasons of tumorlet formation and squa-mouse metaplasia must be explained with new researches.