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(Circulation. 2000;102:e180.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.

Correspondence

Fen/Phen and Valvular Heart Disease: The Final Link Has Now Been Established

Tsung O. Cheng, MD

Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University, Washington, DC 20037

To the Editor:

The findings reported by Shively et al¹ that dexfenfluramine-induced valvulopathy may regress after cessation of drug use received further support from the latest report from the Mayo Clinic.² These 2 reports are extremely important not only from the prognostic standpoint, but also from the diagnostic point of view.

Recently, published reports challenged the well-established association between dexfenfluramine use and valvular regurgitation.^{3 4 5} However, the reports by Shively et al¹ and Hensrud et al² should dispel any doubt, because the Koch’s postulates have now been fulfilled.

References

1. Shively BK, Roldan CA, Gill EA, et al. Prevalence and determinants of valvulopathy in patients treated with dexfenfluramine. Circulation. 1999;100:2161–2167.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
   
2. Hensrud DD, Connolly HM, Grogan M, et al. Echocardiographic improvement over time after cessation of use of fenfluramine and phentermine. Mayo Clin Proc. 1999;74:1191–1197.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]
   
3. Weissman NJ, Tighe JF Jr, Gottdiener JS, et al. An assessment of heart-valve abnormalities in obese patients taking dexfenfluramine, sustained-release dexfenfluramine, or placebo. N Engl J Med. 1998;339:725–732.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
   
4. Burger AJ, Sherman HB, Charlamb MJ, et al. Low prevalence of valvular heart disease in 226 phentermine-fenfluramine protocol subjects prospectively followed for up to 30 months. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1999;34:1153–1158.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
   
5. Schiller NB. Fen/phen and valvular heart disease: if it sounds too bad to be true, perhaps it isn’t. J Am Coll Cardiol. 1999;34:1159–1162.[Free Full Text]
   

This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Cheng, T. O. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Cheng, T. O. Pubmed/NCBI databases Compound via MeSH Substance via MeSH Medline Plus Health Information Heart Valve Diseases Related Collections Cardiovascular Pharmacology Valvular heart disease Echocardiography