Congenital Anomaly, Atrial Septal Defect May be a Basis for a Zoloft Lawsuit
Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) is a medical condition involving the heart which is present at birth. It is characterized by a hole in the wall between the two upper chambers of the heart or otherwise known as the atrium (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. Some children born to women who took Zoloft at the time of pregnancy had this condition. Zoloft is an antidepressant medication under the SSRI drug classification and is usually given to people with depression. 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 is being offered by Mayo Clinic which may help physicians pick out those who might develop side effects to a specific antidepressant, but doubts were raised regarding this test since the genetic results can be used against the patient.
A Brief on Atrial Septal Defect
As previously mentioned, this is a congenital anomaly which means that it can be found at birth. Symptoms might show at the age of 30 or later on in life. The unrepaired septal defect may cause the individual to exhibit the following symptoms:
• 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.
The Truth on Zoloft and Atrial Septal Defect
The British Medical Journal published a study in the year 2007 indicating that women who took Zoloft when pregnant were twice as likely to deliver babies with septal birth defect. It was also found out that the incidence of septal defects rose from 0.5 percent to 0.9 percent in women who took antidepressants including Zoloft when they were pregnant. This condition is rather serious and this made some individuals decide to file for Zoloft lawsuits to be rightfully compensated for all their sufferings.