Journal of clinical epidemiology
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Comparative Study
Aminorex, dexfenfluramine, and primary pulmonary hypertension.
In the late 1960s, an epidemic of primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) occurred in Europe shortly after the introduction of aminorex fumarate, a potent anorexigen. A recently published case-control study from Europe reported that use of other anorexigens (the most prevalent of which was dexfenfluramine) was also associated with an increased risk of PPH. This led to warnings of a repeat epidemic, especially after the introduction of dexfenfluramine on the North American market. ⋯ The strong association between aminorex and PPH probably led to a 5-fold increase in PPH incidence, and thus a very noticeable epidemic. The association with dexfenfluramine would result in an increase in incidence of only 20%. Based on the available evidence, a repeat PPH epidemic seems unlikely.