Atrial Septal Defects a Basis for Zoloft Lawsuit

Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) is a heart condition that is present at birth. This condition is characterized by an opening in the wall between the atria or the upper chambers of the heart. Most small ASDs can heal without medical intervention but the larger holes can cause serious effects if not repaired such as damage to the heart and lungs. Some women who took Zoloft at the time of pregnancy gave birth to children with atrial septal defect. Zoloft is an antidepressant medication under the SSRI drug classification and is usually given to people with depression. depression is mainly managed with the use of medications but some unwanted effects may stop the patient from continuing the medication 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.

A Brief on Atrial Septal Defect

As previously mentioned, this is a congenital anomaly which means that it can be found at birth. The signs may begin to show when they are at their 30’s but some have symptoms later in their adult life. Septal defects that are left untreated may cause an individual to suffer from the following:

• 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 symptoms should be taken seriously as they may progress to heart failure or other atrial septal complications such as 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 noted that a rise from 0.5 percent to 0.9 percent in cases of septal defects were found in women who took Zoloft at the time of 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.
Evolution of Congenital Heart disease in Utero

We thank you taking the time to visit our website
and hope that we were able to assist you in your search for the information that you are looking for.
We do realize that with many articles written, it is possible
and even likely that you will find errors along the way.
We would appreciate you using the “contact us” page to let us know if you come across any mistakes
in our articles or if you simply have some ideas for articles that you would like to see in the future.
Thanks again for taking the time to visit,
we hope you have enjoyed it and hope that you will visit us again someday very soon.