DEXFENFLURAMINE ITALIAN MULTICENTER OPEN STUDY (DIMOS) - EFFICACY ANDSAFETY OF DEXFENFLURAMINE IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH SIMPLE ORCOMPLICATED OBESITY

415 obese subjects received dexfenfluramine 15 mg twice daily for 3 mo nths. These subjects were suffering from obesity with either no concom itant complications (n = 210) or the following concomitant complicatio ns: hypertension (n = 59), non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NI DDM)[n = 86], eating disorders (n = 60). After 3 months of dexfenflura mine treatment, the mean weight loss in the patients who had completed the study was as follows: simple obesity 5.7+-0.3 kg (n = 183); obesi ty with hypertension: 6.0+-0.3 kg (n = 57); obesity with NIDDM: 4.2+-0 .3 kg (n = 78); obesity with eating disorders: 6.1+-0.4 kg (n = 58). I n the patients with obesity and hypertension, the mean systolic and di astolic pressures showed highly significant reductions. In the patient s with obesity and NIDDM, the fasting and postprandial blood glucose a nd glycosylated haemoglobin were also highly significantly reduced. In the obese patients with eating disorders, the mean total caloric inta ke was reduced by 36%, which was highly significant. The mean carbohyd rate and fat intake was reduced by 35.4 and 37.9%, respectively, where as protein intake was only marginally reduced. Adverse events were usu ally moderate and transient, occurring at the beginning of treatment. In conclusion, dexfenfluramine induced significant weight loss in this group of obese patients, both with and without concomitant complicati ons. A concomitant improvement in diabetes and hypertension was observ ed in patients initially presenting with these complications.