Chapter 8 Drug-and Toxin-Induced Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension (original) (raw)

Drug-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension: a recent outbreak

European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society, 2013

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disorder characterised by progressive obliteration of the pulmonary microvasculature resulting in elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and premature death. According to the current classification PAH can be associated with exposure to certain drugs or toxins, particularly to appetite suppressant intake drugs, such as aminorex, fenfluramine derivatives and benfluorex. These drugs have been confirmed to be risk factors for PAH and were withdrawn from the market. The supposed mechanism is an increase in serotonin levels, which was demonstrated to act as a growth factor for the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Amphetamines, phentermine and mazindol were less frequently used, but are considered possible risk factors, for PAH. Dasatinib, dual Src/Abl kinase inhibitor, used in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia was associated with cases of severe PAH, potentially in part reversible after dasatinib withdrawal. Recently, seve...

Drugs induced pulmonary arterial hypertension

La Presse Médicale, 2013

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disorder characterized by progressive obliteration of the pulmonary microvasculature, resulting in elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and premature death. According to the current classification, PAH can be associated with exposure to certain drugs or toxins, particularly appetite suppressant drugs, such as aminorex, fenfluramine derivatives and benfluorex. These drugs have been confirmed to be risk factors for PAH and were withdrawn from the market. The supposed mechanism is an increase in serotonin levels, which was demonstrated to act as a growth factor for the pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells. Amphetamines, phentermine and mazindol were less frequently used but are also considered as possible risk factors for PAH. Dasatinib, a dual Src/Abl kinase inhibitor, used in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia was associated with cases of severe PAH, in part reversible after its withdrawal. Recently several studies raised the potential endothelial dysfunction that could be induced by interferon, and few cases of PAH have been reported with interferon therapy. Other possible risk factors for PAH include: nasal decongestants, like phenylpropanolamine, dietary supplement-L-Tryptophan, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, pergolide and other drugs that could act on 5HT2B receptors. Interestingly, PAH remains a rare complication of these drugs, suggesting possible individual susceptibility and further studies are needed to identify patients at risk of drugs induced PAH.

Drug-induced pulmonary arterial hypertension: a review

Heart Failure Reviews, 2017

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a rare disorder characterised by progressive obliteration of the pulmonary microvasculature resulting in elevated pulmonary vascular resistance and premature death. According to the current classification PAH can be associated with exposure to certain drugs or toxins, particularly to appetite suppressant intake drugs, such as aminorex, fenfluramine derivatives and benfluorex. These drugs have been confirmed to be risk factors for PAH and were withdrawn from the market. The supposed mechanism is an increase in serotonin levels, which was demonstrated to act as a growth factor for the pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Amphetamines, phentermine and mazindol were less frequently used, but are considered possible risk factors, for PAH. Dasatinib, dual Src/Abl kinase inhibitor, used in the treatment of chronic myelogenous leukaemia was associated with cases of severe PAH, potentially in part reversible after dasatinib withdrawal. Recently, several studies have raised the issue of potential endothelial dysfunction that could be induced by interferon, and a few cases of PAH have been reported with interferon therapy. PAH remains a rare complication of these drugs, suggesting possible individual susceptibility, and further studies are needed to identify patients at risk of drug-induced PAH.

Drug-associated pulmonary arterial hypertension

Clinical toxicology (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2018

While pulmonary arterial hypertension remains an uncommon diagnosis, various therapeutic agents are recognized as important associations. These agents are typically categorized into "definite", "likely", "possible", or "unlikely" to cause pulmonary arterial hypertension, based on the strength of evidence. This review will focus on those therapeutic agents where there is sufficient literature to adequately comment on the role of the agent in the pathogenesis of pulmonary arterial hypertension. A systematic search was conducted using PubMed covering the period September 1970- 2017. The search term utilized was "drug induced pulmonary hypertension". This resulted in the identification of 853 peer-reviewed articles including case reports. Each paper was then reviewed by the authors for its relevance. The majority of these papers (599) were excluded as they related to systemic hypertension, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, human imm...

Temporal trends and drug exposures in pulmonary hypertension: An American experience

American Heart Journal, 2006

Background Reports have linked anorexigen intake to an increased risk of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). With the rise in anorexigen use in the latter half of the last decade, we established a surveillance network within the United States to monitor temporal trends in the number of reported cases of PAH. We also studied whether use of anorexigens and other drugs differed among patients with pulmonary hypertension of different etiologies. Methods Newly diagnosed subjects (N = 1335) at 13 tertiary pulmonary hypertension centers were enrolled between January 1998 and June 2001. Patient-reported medication use was obtained by a telephone interview. Patients were classified as to the type of pulmonary hypertension. Poisson regression models were fitted to monthly case counts, and logistic regression methods were used to assess the association between type of pulmonary hypertension and medication use. Results The average monthly number of reported cases of PAH and other categories of pulmonary hypertension did not change over the study period. Fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine use during the 5 years before the time of the interview was preferentially associated with PAH. Fenfluramine/dexfenfluramine use was particularly common in cases referred but found not to have pulmonary hypertension. Conclusions No epidemic of anorexigen-related PAH was evident during the study period. As persons who had taken fenfluramine or dexfenfluramine were particularly likely to be referred for evaluation of pulmonary hypertension, it is unlikely that the failure to detect an anorexigen-induced rise in primary pulmonary hypertension was because of underascertainment. The association between fenfluramine derivatives and PAH is consistent with the risk elevations previously reported.

Dexfenfluramine protects against pulmonary hypertension in rats

Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 2002

Dexfenfluramine (Dex), an appetite suppressant and serotonin reuptake inhibitor, is associated with pulmonary vascular disease (PVD) in some patients. The variability might be related to undetermined genetic abnormalities interacting with factors such as gender, weight loss, and vascular injury. We, therefore, assessed the effect of Dex (5 mg. kg(-1). day(-1)) in female obese rats, designated JCR:LA-cp or cp/cp; in lean rats, designated (+/?); and in normal Sprague-Dawley (S-D) rats under control conditions or after endothelial injury induced by monocrotaline (60 mg/kg). Pulmonary arterial pressure, right ventricular hypertrophy, percent medial wall thickness of muscular arteries, and muscularization of peripheral arteries were assessed as indexes of PVD. Although Dex reduced weight gain in cp/cp and S-D rats (P < 0.05 for both), it did not cause PVD. Moreover, PVD in S-D rats after monocrotaline injection was paradoxically ameliorated by Dex (P < 0.05) despite induction of pu...

Practical Considerations for the Pharmacotherapy of Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy, 2012

Pulmonary arterial hypertension is a devastating disease. Before the 1990s, when pharmacologic treatment was finally approved, only supportive therapy was available, consisting of anticoagulation, digoxin, diuretics, and supplemental oxygen. Calcium channel blocker therapy was also an option, but only a small percentage of patients respond to it. However, starting with epoprostenol in 1996, the number of drugs approved to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension increased. Three distinct classes of drugs were developed based on the pathophysiology of the disease: the prostanoids, endothelin-1 receptor antagonists, and phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors. The prostanoids are administered either parenterally or by inhalation to replace the lack of prostacyclin within the pulmonary arterial vasculature. The endothelin-1 receptor antagonists were the first class of oral drugs to be developed, but drug interactions and adverse effects are prominent with this class. The phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors increase the second messenger cyclic guanosine monophosphate (GMP) that is induced by nitric oxide stimulation. All of the drugs within these three classes are distinct in and of themselves, and their clinical use requires in-depth knowledge of pulmonary arterial hypertension and its pathophysiology. Because these drugs have different mechanisms of action, combination therapy has shown promise in patients with severe disease, although data are still lacking. This article should serve as a practical guide for clinicians who encounter patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and the drugs used for the treatment of this devastating disease.

Anorexigens and Pulmonary Hypertension in the United States*

Chest, 2000

Background: The use of appetite suppressants in Europe has been associated with the development of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH). Recently, fenfluramine appetite suppressants became widely used in the United States but were withdrawn in September 1997 because of concerns over adverse effects. Materials and methods: We conducted a prospective surveillance study on patients diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension at 12 large referral centers in North America. Data collected on patients seen from September 1, 1996, to December 31, 1997, included the cause of the pulmonary hypertension and its severity. Patients with no identifiable cause of pulmonary hypertension were classed as PPH. A history of drug exposure also was taken with special attention on the use of antidepressants, anorexigens, and amphetamines. Results: Five hundred seventy-nine patients were studied, 205 with PPH and 374 with pulmonary hypertension from other causes (secondary pulmonary hypertension [SPH]). The use of anorexigens was common in both groups. However, of the medications surveyed, only the fenfluramines had a significant preferential association with PPH as compared with SPH (adjusted odds ratio for use > 6 months, 7.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.7 to 32.4). The association was stronger with longer duration of use when compared to shorter duration of use and was more pronounced in recent users than in remote users. An unexpectedly high (11.4%) number of patients with SPH had used anorexigens. Conclusion: The magnitude of the association with PPH, the increase of association with increasing duration of use, and the specificity for fenfluramines are consistent with previous studies indicating that fenfluramines are causally related to PPH. The high prevalence of anorexigen use in patients with SPH also raises the possibility that these drugs precipitate pulmonary hypertension in patients with underlying conditions associated with SPH.