Levaquin is a fluoroquinolone antibiotic, a class of antibiotics used to treat a range of common bacterial infections, including respiratory and urinary tract infections. They can also be used to treat more severe infections like pneumonia and joint and bone infections.

Reports show that over 20 million fluoroquinolone prescriptions are written annually. Despite its popularity, however, these drugs could have deadly side effects of which many patients may not be aware, such as being one of the causes of aortic aneurysm.

Fluoroquinolones and the Aorta

Studies show that patients who take fluoroquinolone antibiotics like Levaquin are two to three times more likely to experience aortic damage than patients who don’t take the drugs. The aorta is the main artery that carries blood from the heart to the rest of the body. These serious aortic conditions include aortic dissection and aortic aneurysm, and in many cases, this damage can be life-threatening.

An aortic dissection is a tear in the aorta, affecting on or more of the layers of the aortic wall. An aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the aorta, occurring when one or more of the aorta’s walls tear, and blood enters between the layers, causing the layers to bulge. These conditions represent a weakness in the aorta. Both an aortic aneurysm and dissection can cause severe internal bleeding, which can be fatal.

In 2015, two studies where published that suggest that fluoroquinolone antibiotics damage the collagen present in aortic tissue, leading the tissue to weaken, break down, and possibly tear. Allegedly, even if a patient has stopped taking fluoroquinolone antibiotics, their risk is still higher for an aortic problem than that of someone who has not taken the drugs. Reports show that current fluoroquinolone users have a 124% to 143% increased risk of aortic problems, while past users have a 48% increased risk.

Allegedly, fluoroquinolone antibiotics like Levaquin do not have warning labels that advertise the risk of aortic problems. However, Levaquin has long been associated with tendon ruptures, a condition commonly caused by a breakdown in collagen, as is the case in an aortic rupture. Levaquin’s link to collagen breakdown may be among the causes of aortic aneurysm, as is suggested by numerous patient reports.

Information about Levaquin’s dangers is becoming more widely publicized, as the drug has been the subject of dozens of lawsuits already. Patients have claimed that the drug’s manufacturer intentionally failed to warn patients and medical providers about the drug’s dangerous side effects, advertising the drug as safer than it is.

Because federal regulations require drug manufacturers to report previously unknown side effects or complications of a drug within 15 days of receiving a patient report of injury or death, the manufacturers may have unlawfully hidden these reports from consumers. Consumers may be able to hold manufacturers accountable for not complying with drug reporting law and for endangering the safety of Levaquin drug users.
Lawyers are currently investigating cases in which Levaquin may have led to aortic aneurysm. If you took Levaquin within the last 18 months and experienced problems like an aortic aneurysm or an aortic dissection, you may have legal claim.