Fatal Pulmonary Hypertension Associated with Short-Term Use of Fenfluramine and Phentermine

The dangers inherent in marked obesity have prompted physicians to advocate more aggressive strategies for weight reduction. One current strategy is the prescription of fenfluramine,1,2 either alone or in combination with phentermine, with the knowledge that the risks of the drugs must be balanced against the risks of continued obesity. Pulmonary hypertension in adults has several causes that can be identified pathologically. In the case of pulmonary hypertension that develops with hypoxia during the course of chronic obstructive or interstitial fibrosing disease of the lung, the pulmonary vessels are characterized by intimal and medial hyperplasia and luminal stenosis. Thromboembolic . . .