Mystery blood clots felling U.S. troops

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> Microwaves can cause bloodclots.N>> Mystery blood clots felling U.S. troops> By Mark Benjamin> Investigations Editor> Published 10/6/2003 12:41 PM>> http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20031006-113325-5591r>> WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 (UPI) -- Unexplained blood clots are among the reasonsa> number of U.S. soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom have died from sudden> illnesses, an investigation by United Press International has found.>> In addition to NBC News Correspondent David Bloom, who died in April of a> blood clot in his lung after collapsing south of Baghdad, the Pentagon has> told families that blood clots caused two soldiers to collapse and die. At> least eight other soldiers have also collapsed and died from what the> military has described as non-combat-related causes.>> A disturbing parallel has also surfaced: soldiers becoming ill or dyingfrom> similar ailments in the United States. In some cases, the soldiers, their> families and civilian doctors blame vaccines given to them by themilitary,> particularly the anthrax or smallpox shots.>> Some of the soldiers who died suddenly had complained about symptoms> suffered by Bloom -- including pain in the legs that could indicateproblems> with blood clots.>> "If there is a significant number of deaths of this type, it would makeyou> wonder what was going on," said Rose Hobby, whose brother-in-law, ArmySpc.> William Jeffries, died of a massive lung blood clot and swelling of his> pancreas on March 31 after being evacuated from Kuwait.>> "How many others are out there?">> "I would say that that number of cases among young healthy troops wouldseem> to be unusual," Dr. Jeffrey Sartin, an infectious diseases doctor at the> Gundersen Clinic in La Crosse, Wis., said about blood clot deaths. Sartin,a> former Air Force doctor, last spring treated a soldier who might have died> from anthrax or smallpox side effects.>> "I am not aware that there were this many cases" during the first GulfWar,> Sartin said.>> The Pentagon has been investigating cases of a mysterious pneumonia thathas> killed two soldiers and put 17 more on ventilators. Besides the pneumonia,> there do not seem to be any unexpected health trends given the number of> troops in the region, said Army Surgeon General spokeswoman Virginia> Stephanakis.>> "We are not seeing larger numbers of most illnesses than we could have> expected," Stephanakis said. "We have not seen any red flags. As far as I> know, there has not been a huge red flag other than the pneumonia.">> UPI's investigation found 17 soldiers who died of sudden illnesses.Families> say they are bewildered by the deaths.>> "Bill just dropped. They thought he had been shot. That is how suddenly it> happened," said Rose Hobby, the woman whose 39-year-old brother-in-law> William Jeffries collapsed in Kuwait.>> After being evacuated from Kuwait to Rota, Spain, he was in intensive care> for a week before dying, Hobby said in a telephone interview from> Evansville, Ind. A doctor in Spain said Jeffries had "the largestpulmonary> embolism he had ever seen," Hobby said. Jeffries also had a swelling ofthe> pancreas, often caused by heavy drinking or some drugs. Jeffries was not a> drinker, Hobby said.>> Jeffries was back in the United States just days before his death toattend> his own father's funeral. He had a scab on his arm from his recentsmallpox> vaccination. Hobby said she does not know if he got anthrax shots also,like> most soldiers in the region.>> Patrick Ivory arrived in Germany Aug. 16 to see his 26-year-old son, Army> Spc. Craig S. Ivory, before he died. By then, Craig Ivory was alreadybrain> dead from a blood clot that hit his brain on Aug. 11.>> "I had to make a decision to turn off life support, which was the most> difficult thing I have ever done in my life," Patrick Ivory said in a> telephone interview from his home in Port Matilda, Pa.>> In other cases of apparently healthy soldiers who died suddenly inOperation> Iraqi Freedom, families told UPI they have gotten few answers from the> military. Local media reports have quoted military officials saying someof> the deaths were apparent heart attacks; they have occurred from the> beginning of the conflict through last week.>> "If anybody has a right to know what my husband died of, it is me," said> Lisa Ann Sherman, whose husband, Lt. Col. Anthony Sherman, suddenlyclutched> his chest and died Aug. 27 in Camp Arifjan, Kuwait. "The only thing they> (the military) had to tell me was severe myocardial infarction," or aheart> attack.>> Anthony Sherman, 43, was a marathon runner and a triathlete.>> Sherman said her husband complained of pain in his legs after getting> anthrax shots. She said she has since learned that he went to sick call> complaining of pain in his legs on the day he died. NBC's Bloom, who also> got the anthrax and smallpox vaccines, complained of pain in his legs,> presumably from a blood clot that has been attributed to cramped quartersin> his armored vehicle.>> "I am very suspicious about the true reason behind my husband's death,"> Sherman said.>> The Pentagon said side effects from the anthrax vaccine are generally mild> and rare.>> In one case, however, the military said the anthrax vaccine did cause a> soldier's chronic blood-clot condition.>> Capt. Jason M. Nietupksi says he has suffered severe reactions to three> anthrax shots given to him in the Army Reserves in February 2000, when he> was 29 years old. Nietupski said the vaccine caused chronic fatigue, askin> reaction and a blood clot condition called Deep Vein Thrombosis. Nietupski> described intense pain in his legs caused by the clots from thatcondition.>> Nietupski is on blood thinners for the rest of his life. His records from> the military state his blood clot condition was caused by the anthraxshots.>> "CPT Nietupski had multiple adverse medical problems associated with three> anthrax vaccinations he received while assigned to the 8th United States> Army," read the results of a military line-of-duty inquiry report. "A> condition described as Deep Vein Thrombosis, chronic fatigue and Steven> Johnson's Syndrome all are adverse reactions that developed in this> previously healthy individual from the anthrax vaccine. Evaluation byWalter> Reed Physicians state (sic) that his symptoms are related to the anthrax> vaccine.">> The anthrax vaccine label warns of infrequent reports of heart attacks or> strokes among people who have taken that vaccine. Both heart attacks and> strokes can be caused by blood clots.>> With smallpox shots, top Pentagon health officials released a study inJune> that said 37 soldiers have had a swelling of the tissue around the heart> probably caused by the vaccine and eight other "cardiac events" occurred> within a fortnight of getting the vaccine, including heart attacks. The> Pentagon said they had seen no deaths that might have been caused by the> smallpox vaccine.>> Civilian officials have disagreed, at least in one case.>> In the April 4 death of Army Spc. Rachael Lacy of Lynwood, Ill., acivilian> doctor who treated her and the civilian coroner who performed her autopsy> said the smallpox and anthrax vaccines the Army gave her March 2 in> preparation for her deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom might havecaused> her death. Lacy had pneumonia and a swelling of the tissue surrounding the> heart, among other things.>> The Deputy Director of the Military Vaccine Agency, Col. John D.Grabenstein> told UPI in August that Lacy's death has not been classified by themilitary> as related to either vaccine.>> "Rachael Lacy is still in the unexplained death program" at the Centersfor> Disease Control and Prevention, Grabenstein said.>> After two health care workers died of heart attacks after getting smallpox> shots, in March the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended> that people with a risk of heart disease not take the vaccine.>>> 2001-2004 United Press International