Smoking Cited in Iraq Pneumonia Cases

[Guest guest]

This has to be a joke .... no one could possibly believe that smoking caused

pneumonia/death in soldiers in Iraq ...

 

Tuesday, September 09, 2003 9:28 PM

Smoking Cited in Iraq Pneumonia Cases

 

 

>

> Smoking Cited in Iraq Pneumonia Cases

>

>

> By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer

>

> WASHINGTON - Most of the soldiers in and around Iraq

>

(<http://us.rd./DailyNews/manual/*http://search.news./sear

ch/news?p=%22Iraq%22 & c= & n=20 & yn=c & c=news & cs=nw>news

> -

>

<http://us.rd./DailyNews/manual/*http://search./bin/search

?cs=nw & p=Iraq>web

> sites) with unexplained, severe pneumonia had taken up smoking shortly

> before falling ill, military medical authorities said Tuesday.

>

>

>

> The military is investigating 19 cases of severe pneumonia since March,

> including two fatalities. Four of those cases were linked to bacterial

> infections. Of the remaining 15, 10 patients, including the two who died,

> had elevated levels of a certain type of white blood cells.

>

> Nine of the 10 reported they had started smoking recently, said Col. Bob

> DeFraites, a top Army medical officer. It's unclear whether smoking caused

> or contributed to the pneumonia, but since tobacco smoke damages lungs,

> it's a chief suspect, DeFraites said.

>

> " It may be a combination of the desert deployment with heat and dust and

> everything else in conjunction with the smoking, " DeFraites told reporters

> in a telephone conference call. " It's not a coincidence, the association

> with smoking. ... It's a known irritant for lungs and a known risk factor

> for pneumonia in general. It may be sensitizing the lungs for the

pneumonia. "

>

> DeFraites and other military officials said the military has not seen an

> unusual number of pneumonia cases but was investigating the 19 illnesses

> because they were so severe, requiring the patients to be put on

> ventilators to help them breathe. All 17 survivors have fully recovered

and

> are out of the hospital, DeFraites said.

>

> Army Sgt. Michael L. Tosto, 24, a tank driver from Apex, N.C., died June

17

> from pneumonia that developed rapidly and killed him before he was

> airlifted from Baghdad to Germany. Spc. Joshua M. Neusche, 20, of

Montreal,

> Mo., died July 12 in Germany after falling ill in Iraq.

>

> Of the 19 affected troops, 13 got sick in Iraq, three in Kuwait and one

> each in Qatar, Uzbekistan and Djibouti, DeFraites said. The 18 men and one

> woman included 17 Army soldiers, one Navy sailor and one Marine.

>

> The four soldiers with suspected infections included two with pneumococcal

> infections, one with a disease known as " Q fever " and one with a bacterium

> called acinetobacter baumannii, DeFraites said. All three bacteria are

> common causes of pneumonia.

>

> It's not surprising that no clear clues to the cause have been found in

> five of the pneumonia cases, since the same can be said for many cases in

> the civilian health care system, DeFraites said.

>

> " I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we weren't able to come down with a

> definite cause and effect relationship for each of these cases, " DeFraites

> said. " I hope we can, but I wouldn't be surprised if we ran a bit short. "

>

> Military authorities have ruled out some causes. There's no evidence of

the

> SARS

>

(<http://us.rd./DailyNews/manual/*http://search.news./sear

ch/news?p=%22SARS%22 & c= & n=20 & yn=c & c=news & cs=nw>news

> -

>

<http://us.rd./DailyNews/manual/*http://search./bin/search

?cs=nw & p=SARS>web

> sites) virus or parasitic infections, for example. There's also no

evidence

> indicating that vaccinations against smallpox or anthrax were the cause,

> said Col. John Grabenstein, deputy director of the military vaccine

office.

>

> One of the most significant findings is that 10 of the sickened troops had

> high levels of white blood cells called eosinophils. Those immune system

> cells are associated with a wide range of conditions, including allergies

> and parasitic infections.

>

> Levels of eosinophils in the 10 soldiers ranged from three times to 11

> times higher than normal, DeFraites said.

>

> In the patients with pneumonia, doctors believe that something possibly

the

> cigarette smoke irritated the lung cells, causing the eosinophils to come

> and cause inflammation. That caused pneumonia, the medical name for fluid

> filling up the lungs.

>

> ___

>

> On the Net:

>

> Military Health System:

>

<http://us.rd./dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/SIG=7a34ja/*http:

//www.ha.osd.mil>http://www.ha.osd.mil

>

>

>

http://news./news?tmpl=story2 & cid=519 & u=/ap/20030909/ap_on_re_us/so

ldier_illness_4 & printer=1

>

[Guest guest]

Oh, so the military, or US government is not liable but the tobacco companies are.  Sheesh. 

What a bunch of stooges.  Bald faced lies that we are to believe.  Smoking

will, or can, cause pneumonia, but immediately?  I don’t know that one

can smoke a few packs of cigarettes and wham, bam, thank you mam, you’re

dead.  Perhaps a few individuals per 100,000 but all concentrated into Iraq?

 

Ed

 

 

luckypig

[luckypig]

Wednesday, September 10,

2003 9:45 AM

@ TheMultiD

 

Smoking Cited in Iraq Pneumonia Cases

 

This has to be a joke .... no one could possibly

believe that smoking caused

pneumonia/death in soldiers in Iraq ...

 

Tuesday, September 09, 2003 9:28 PM

Smoking Cited in Iraq Pneumonia Cases

 

 

>

> Smoking Cited in Iraq Pneumonia Cases

>

>

> By MATT KELLEY, Associated Press Writer

>

> WASHINGTON - Most of the soldiers in and

around Iraq

>

(<http://us.rd./DailyNews/manual/*http://search.news./sear

ch/news?p=%22Iraq%22 & c= & n=20 & yn=c & c=news & cs=nw>news

> -

>

<http://us.rd./DailyNews/manual/*http://search./bin/search

?cs=nw & p=Iraq>web

> sites) with unexplained, severe pneumonia had

taken up smoking shortly

> before falling ill, military medical

authorities said Tuesday.

>

>

>

> The military is investigating 19 cases of

severe pneumonia since March,

> including two fatalities. Four of those cases

were linked to bacterial

> infections. Of the remaining 15, 10 patients,

including the two who died,

> had elevated levels of a certain type of

white blood cells.

>

> Nine of the 10 reported they had started

smoking recently, said Col. Bob

> DeFraites, a top Army medical officer. It's

unclear whether smoking caused

> or contributed to the pneumonia, but since

tobacco smoke damages lungs,

> it's a chief suspect, DeFraites said.

>

> " It may be a combination of the desert

deployment with heat and dust and

> everything else in conjunction with the

smoking, " DeFraites told reporters

> in a telephone conference call. " It's

not a coincidence, the association

> with smoking. ... It's a known irritant for

lungs and a known risk factor

> for pneumonia in general. It may be

sensitizing the lungs for the

pneumonia. "

>

> DeFraites and other military officials said

the military has not seen an

> unusual number of pneumonia cases but was

investigating the 19 illnesses

> because they were so severe, requiring the

patients to be put on

> ventilators to help them breathe. All 17

survivors have fully recovered

and

> are out of the hospital, DeFraites said.

>

> Army Sgt. Michael L. Tosto, 24, a tank driver

from Apex, N.C., died June

17

> from pneumonia that developed rapidly and

killed him before he was

> airlifted from Baghdad to Germany. Spc.

Joshua M. Neusche, 20, of

Montreal,

> Mo., died July 12 in Germany after falling

ill in Iraq.

>

> Of the 19 affected troops, 13 got sick in

Iraq, three in Kuwait and one

> each in Qatar, Uzbekistan and Djibouti,

DeFraites said. The 18 men and one

> woman included 17 Army soldiers, one Navy

sailor and one Marine.

>

> The four soldiers with suspected infections

included two with pneumococcal

> infections, one with a disease known as

" Q fever " and one with a bacterium

> called acinetobacter baumannii, DeFraites

said. All three bacteria are

> common causes of pneumonia.

>

> It's not surprising that no clear clues to

the cause have been found in

> five of the pneumonia cases, since the same

can be said for many cases in

> the civilian health care system, DeFraites

said.

>

> " I wouldn't be a bit surprised if we

weren't able to come down with a

> definite cause and effect relationship for

each of these cases, " DeFraites

> said. " I hope we can, but I wouldn't be

surprised if we ran a bit short. "

>

> Military authorities have ruled out some

causes. There's no evidence of

the

> SARS

>

(<http://us.rd./DailyNews/manual/*http://search.news./sear

ch/news?p=%22SARS%22 & c= & n=20 & yn=c & c=news & cs=nw>news

> -

>

<http://us.rd./DailyNews/manual/*http://search./bin/search

?cs=nw & p=SARS>web

> sites) virus or parasitic infections, for

example. There's also no

evidence

> indicating that vaccinations against smallpox

or anthrax were the cause,

> said Col. John Grabenstein, deputy director

of the military vaccine

office.

>

> One of the most significant findings is that

10 of the sickened troops had

> high levels of white blood cells called

eosinophils. Those immune system

> cells are associated with a wide range of

conditions, including allergies

> and parasitic infections.

>

> Levels of eosinophils in the 10 soldiers

ranged from three times to 11

> times higher than normal, DeFraites said.

>

> In the patients with pneumonia, doctors

believe that something possibly

the

> cigarette smoke irritated the lung cells,

causing the eosinophils to come

> and cause inflammation. That caused

pneumonia, the medical name for fluid

> filling up the lungs.

>

> ___

>

> On the Net:

>

> Military Health System:

>

<http://us.rd./dailynews/ap/ap_on_re_us/storytext/SIG=7a34ja/*http:

//www.ha.osd.mil>http://www.ha.osd.mil

>

>

>

http://news./news?tmpl=story2 & cid=519 & u=/ap/20030909/ap_on_re_us/so

ldier_illness_4 & printer=1

>

 

 

 

 

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