Atrial Septal Defects a Basis for Zoloft Lawsuit
Thursday, September 1st, 2011Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) is a medical condition involving the heart which is present at birth. This is marked by a hole found in the wall of the two upper chambers of the heart or atria. The small atrial septal defects can heal on its own but the larger and long-standing ones have to be repaired so heart and lung damage can be avoided. Atrial Septal Defect was observed in some babies born to women who took the drug when they were pregnant. Zoloft is generally prescribed for cases of depression and it is an antidepressant belonging to the SSRI drug class. Depression is primarily managed with medications but certain side effects may hinder the sufferer to go on with the drug therapy. A genetic test to manage depression treatment was offered by Mayo Clinic to help physicians identify those who are most likely to develop side effects to antidepressants but the test itself is being argued as genetic results can be used against those who had the test.
Some Information on Atrial Septal Defect
As stated, this defect is congenital in nature which means that this is found at birth. Symptoms might show at the age of 30 or later on in life. Uncorrected ASDs might lead the individual to show the following conditions:
• Abnormal heart sounds
• Shortness of breath especially upon physical exertion
• Easily gets fatigued
• Bluish skin tint that is easily observed on nail beds and the lips
• Observable swelling of the lower extremities and the abdomen
• Frequent lung infections
• Stroke
These manifestations have to be monitored as these might lead to other complications including pulmonary hypertension, shortened life expectancy, abnormalities in heart rhythms and increased risk of having a stroke.
Zoloft and its Association with Atrial Septal Defect
In 2007, the British Medical Journal published a study which states that women who were taking Zoloft at the time of pregnancy had twice the risk of delivering babies with congenital septal defects. It was also recorded that the morbidity rate for septal defects rose from 0.5% to 0.9% in women who took the medication upon pregnancy. Atrial Septal Defect is a fatal condition that is why a number have filed Zoloft lawsuits so they’ll be compensated from all their sufferings.