Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension Associated With Chronic Mephedrone Use: A Case Report
Masoud Kashoub, Michael Plunkett, Heba Nashat, Konstantinos Dimopoulos, Colm McCabe, Carl Harries, S. John Wort, Paul I. Dargan, Laura C. Price
https://doi.org/10.1002/pul2.70415
Abstract
Mephedrone is a synthetic cathinone with sympathomimetic effects, but has not previously been linked to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). We report a 42-year-old woman with no prior cardiopulmonary disease who presented with severe pre-capillary PAH after a decade of near-daily mephedrone use. Extensive evaluation—including autoimmune, infectious, genetic, and imaging studies—excluded recognised causes of PAH. Following cessation of mephedrone and initiation of dual oral PAH-targeted therapy, she demonstrated substantial initial clinical and haemodynamic improvement; however, the response remained incomplete, necessitating further treatment escalation with selexipag. This appears to be the first reported case of PAH linked to mephedrone use.
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