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more_legal_areas PPHIn April of 2004, a Texas woman was awarded an enormous 1.13 billion dollar payout in a lawsuit filed against Wyeth, the pharmaceutical manufacturer that was found responsible in the woman''s death after taking their diet drug Pondimin four years earlier. The woman was afflicted with Primary Pulmonary Hypertension (PPH), the fatal lung condition which has plagued users of Fen-Phen and other diet pill pharmaceuticals since it was pulled from the shelves in 1997. PPH cases such as this are becoming increasingly common as researchers in the New England Journal of Medicine have found that the frequency of PPH in users of Fen-Phen drugs is 1 in 20,000, while normal patients exhibit only a 1 in 50,000 chance.
PPH is a fatal lung disorder in which the blood vessels in the pulmonary artery constrict, suddenly causing a dramatic rise in the patient''s blood pressure. The constricting of the artery''s blood vessels makes it increasingly hard for the right ventricle to pump oxygen-deprived blood to the lungs. This, in turn, puts a constant and undue stress on the right ventricle, forcing it to work harder than normal to perform necessary circulation.
Many patients suffering from a PPH case in the early stages will experience only minor symptoms such as lightheadedness, dizziness, and constant fatigue that are oftentimes overlooked and disregarded. As it moves into a more advanced stage, PPH will induce swelling in the ankles or legs, bluish lips and skin due to poor circulation, and throbbing heart palpitations. The restricted blood flow to the body due to PPH also tends to make intense physical activity impossible.
The exact cause of PPH is unknown at this point in time, and unfortunately so is an effective cure for the disease. Upon being diagnosed with a PPH case, patients will typically have a life expectancy of around three years. But with early diagnosis and advanced drug treatments, temporary solutions have been created that have enabled patients to live comfortably with PPH for 10 to 15 years. Drug treatments attempt to decrease the strain on the right ventricle by eliminating unnecessary fluid in the body and allowing blood to flow more freely through its vessels.
There may be many different causes of PPH, but doctors have been unable to pinpoint one specifically. But doctors have determined that past users of Fen-Phen diet pills have a higher risk of developing a PPH condition, along with more severe symptoms. According to Dr. Stuart Rich, a leading authority on PPH cases nationwide, patients who have been connected with Fen-Phen diet pills "tend to have a more aggressive disease with a poorer prognosis than similar patients."
With countless court decisions and settlements in favor of patients in PPH cases, there are steps that may be taken for legal action against the manufacturers of Fen-Phen diet pills. Individual cases can be presented against the companies, with settlements reaching into the millions of dollars. If you believe you may have been affected by PPH, you may be entitled to the appropriate legal recourse.