Clotting disorder killed Arafat

[bemildred]

Paris - Doctors who treated Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat believe he died of a blood condition called disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and have ruled out poisoning, Le Monde newspaper reported on Wednesday.

"(DIC) is the complete disruption of the mechanisms which normally assure proper blood clotting ... It can lead to major internal bleeding and possible death," the paper said.

French medical secrecy laws mean that the report on Arafat's death has been communicated only to his immediate family, resulting in a spate of rumours in the Arab world that he may have been poisoned.

An online medical dictionary describes DIC as a condition under which "blood clotting mechanisms are activated throughout the body instead of being localised to an area of injury.

News24

[RhodaGrits]

1. Huh? DIC is a terminal event usually triggered by some very

severe disease process. So what triggered the DIC?

[Warpy]

2. There is usually an underlying mechanism for DIC

and they haven't located one for Arafat, as far as I know.

[MuseRider]

3. Wonder what

started that process, could have been an infection. I wonder if we will ever know? Nasty stuff, nasty.

[Warpy]

7. It can be triggered by overwhelming infection

but his physicians in France didn't find any evidence of it. It can be triggered by any number of things, including severe injury (ruled out) and pregnancy and childbirth (um, unlikely).

My money's on poison.

[MuseRider]

9. That is exactly what

I am thinking. I have seen DLC a few times, usually it was caused by an infection or a major trauma. I wonder if they will ever tell us. I have an aquaintence who lived through it and then became a nurse. She had major skin grafting done, lost some fingers. I worked in the ICU with her and I believe she is still doing that. Other than her, I do not know if any of the others survived.

[pnutchuck]

4. All I know is he was smiling and waving as he left Palestine

and 3 days later he was in a coma. I'm not ruling out Jason Bourne

[babylonsister]

5. I found that odd as well. Doesn't allow me

to put much faith in French docs, until more is known.

[pnutchuck]

6. The French have been complaining that Chirac is too soft on

terrorism. I live in Paris and there is a growing sentiment that Chirac is weak on terrorism. Maybe this was his answer to them.

[BootinUp]

8. Sorta like Andromeda Strain then?

:scared:

[Cicero]

15. You beat me to the punch, there. (nt)

[bemildred]

10. FWIW, I heard "liver failure" on the radio. nt

[cantwealljustgetalong]

11. liver failure which was caused by...

poisoning?...AIDS?...alcoholism?...

full disclosure !!!

[Scurrilous]

12. For what it's worth:

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3611359&thesection=news&thesubsection=world

Arafat 'had cirrhosis'

"The late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, but his death last week was not caused by alcohol, yesterday's issue of the French satirical weekly Le Canard Enchaine says.

Citing doctors who "had access" to Arafat and his file, the paper said that from Arafat's admission to a French military hospital near Paris, the medical team "suspected serious hepatic lesions" that could affect the content of his blood.

Leukaemia was quickly ruled out. "The most likely scenario is that there were multiple causes of death. His coma was probably caused by the aggravation of his liver condition. And to finish off, there was the haemorrhaging."

More:

Le Monde: Arafat Died of Cirrhosis

http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20041117&hn=13953

[cantwealljustgetalong]

13. "How can you prevent cirrhosis?"...

Don't abuse alcohol. If you do drink alcohol, limit how much you drink and how often. Remember it's not only the heavy drinker who gets cirrhosis. If you drink more than 2 drinks a day, you are increasing your risk. A drink is a glass of wine or a 12-oz can of beer or a 1 1/2 oz portion of hard liquor.

Avoid high-risk sexual behavior such as unprotected sexual contact with multiple partners.

Be careful around synthetic chemicals, such as cleaning products and pesticides. If you come into contact with chemicals often, wear protective clothing and a facemask.

Get vaccinated against hepatitis B.

Poor nutrition, usually associated with alcohol or drug abuse, may play a role in causing cirrhosis. Thus, eat a well-balance, low-fat, diet and take vitamins.

http://www.cchs.net/health/health-info/docs/0000/0083.asp?index=4032

[bemildred]

14. That's the story, thanks. nt

[sabbat hunter]

16. arafats color

if you go back and look at arafats 'color' as he got on the plane to paris, it looked a bit off to me. could have been jaundice.

could have been liver disease but not necessarily cirrosis.

david

[bemildred]

17. Eh, he was seventy five, looking crappy is normal.

We all die sometime for some reason. Unless somebody comes up
with hard evidence of non-divine intervention in the process
(which I doubt) I don't care too much what got him.

[Violet_Crumble]

18. Yeah, and dying's an occupational hazard for the 70's and above group...

As for his colour, being confined indoors for a few years would make anyone look pretty pale unless they've got a nifty tanning clinic onsite...

Violet...

[bemildred]

19. No, no, living like a mushroom is good for you.

Makes you bloom with health. Stress is good too.

[The Magistrate]

22. That Seems The Operative Fact To Me, Mr. Mildred

The fellow was old, something stopped working, and he died. That is what usually happens....

[Paleocon]

20. Was he poisoned by the same bunch that poisoned that Russion dude...

That is actually from the Ukraine? (I think)...

[The Magistrate]

21. Calling A Ukrainian A Russian, Sir

Can get your face re-arranged very quickly; it is slight slightly more dangerous than calling a Welshman English....