Strokes

According to data collected by Kissela and presented at an American Stroke Association conference last month, in little more than a decade the percentage of people in the Ohio-Kentucky area age 20 to 45 having strokes has skyrocketed from 4.5 percent to 7.3 percent. Experts say they expect national statistics to mirror those in Ohio-Kentucky.

Kissela blames poor diets that spur obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure in younger individuals. But according to Diane Book, director of the stroke program at Froedtert Hospital in Wauwatosa, another risk factor is the prevalence of birth control pills. Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicates that birth control pill use among females age 15 to 44 has increased from 27 percent in 1995 to 31 percent in 2002.

Oral contraceptives can significantly increase a woman’s risk of stroke by two to three times more than for women who do not take birth control pills. Makers of oral contraceptives are required by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to warn consumers of the increased risk of strokes and other health hazards from use of their products, but more than 1,100 women injured by birth control pills have filed lawsuits against Bayer, the makers of the blockbuster birth control pill Yaz, saying the company didn’t sufficiently warn them.

SOURCE: Yaz Lawsuit › Birth control pills contribute to more strokes among young women

The plaintiff, who resides in Belpre, Ohio, had been taking Yaz for about a year when she developed deep vein thrombosis in her leg. She spent three days in the hospital, where like many other women who use Yaz, she was put on a regimen of blood thinners to dissolve the clot and reduce the swelling in her leg.

Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is a very serious type of blood clot that can lead to serious complications and death if not treated properly. Clots that form a DVT can become dislodged, traveling through the bloodstream to the lungs and causing a pulmonary embolism, resulting in permanent damage to the lung. DVT can also cause stroke, cardiac arrest, and other potentially deadly conditions.

Yaz contains drospirenone, a synthetic progestin used in Yaz, Yasmin, and Ocella, which is a generic form of Yasmin. Drospirenone has been shown to increase potassium levels in some women who take the drug, which can lead to DVT and affect the function of several organs, including the heart.

The Ohio plaintiff’s lawsuit was filed in New Jersey Superior Court. The suit alleges that the plaintiff’s injuries were the result of Bayer’s failure to adequately warn consumers of the drug’s risks. Her attorney claims that Bayer knew Yaz to be more dangerous than other birth-control pills, but chose to downplay the drug’s hazards.

SOURCE: Yaz Lawsuit › Ohio mother sues Bayer, alleging Yaz caused blood clot