Re: South Korea - 8 patients reportedly with "mysterious" pneumonia - 7 are pregnant or recently delivered mothers - 2nd fatality
Re: South Korea - 8 patients reportedly with "mysterious" pneumonia - 7 are pregnant or recently delivered mothers - 2nd fatality
http://www.promedmail.org/pls/apex/..._BACK_PAGE,F2400_P1001_PUB_MAIL_ID:1000,88610
Archive Number 20110526.1614
Published Date 26-MAY-2011
Subject PRO/EDR> Pulmonary fibrosis - South Korea (02): Seoul
PULMONARY FIBROSIS - SOUTH KOREA (02): SEOUL
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A ProMED-mail post
<http://www.promedmail.org>
ProMED-mail is a program of the
International Society for Infectious Diseases
<http://www.isid.org>
Date: Thu 26 May 2011
Source: The Korea Herald [edited]
<http://www.koreaherald.com/national/Detail.jsp?newsMLId=20110526000729>
Another pregnant woman has died of acute pneumonia caused by an
unidentified virus, the health authorities confirmed Thursday [26 May
2011]. She was the 2nd death among the 7 pregnant women who had been
hospitalized at a Seoul hospital in April 2011 for infection with the
unknown virus.
The 36-year-old woman 1st visited the hospital on 21 Apr 2011 with
early flu symptoms and breathing difficulty and was diagnosed with
pulmonary fibrosis. She died less than a month after hospitalization,
like the 9-month pregnant woman who died on 10 May 2011. She was the
only woman who tested positive for type-53 adenovirus, but health
officials earlier said that they could not find any direct
connectivity between her illness and the virus.
Despite growing fears among other pregnant patients and their family
members, the KCDC and the hospital have yet to find out the cause of
the unidentified pneumonia. Considering no similar case has been
detected in an investigation covering 43 university hospitals
nationwide, health officials said it was unlikely the virus would be
infectious.
According to health officials, there were some deaths caused by
unidentified types of pneumonia. However, it has rarely happened that
previously healthy and young people develop symptoms for such a short
period. It was also unusual that the 8 patients, including the 2 who
died, suffered breathing difficulty unlike other pneumonia patients,
who usually show early symptoms such as fever.
The hospital also started studying a paper on deaths of young
children aged 2-5 with similar symptoms over the years. It was
investigating the possibility that the mothers could have been
infected with a respiratory disease from their babies.
[Byline: Lee Ji-yoon]
--
Communicated by:
HealthMap alerts via ProMED-mail
<promed@promedmail.org>
[One of 7 hospitalized pregnant women with unknown virus infection
has died 16 days after the 1st death. She was the 2nd death among the
7 pregnant women who had been hospitalized at a Seoul hospital in
April 2011 for infection with an unknown virus.
No progress has been made in attempts to detect and identify the
putative viral pathogen (if indeed it is a virus), and no similar
cases have been detected in an investigation covering 43 university
hospitals nationwide. Health officials now say it was unlikely the
virus would be infectious. They are suggesting now that these patients
may have been infected with a respiratory disease from their babies.
There is no conclusive evidence that a viral pathogen is involved in
this phenomenon.
Pulmonary fibrosis can be caused by many conditions, including
chronic inflammatory processes (sarcoidosis, Wegener's
granulomatosis), infections, environmental agents (asbestos, silica,
exposure to certain gases), exposure to ionizing radiation (such as
radiation therapy to treat tumors of the chest), chronic conditions
(lupus, rheumatoid arthritis), and certain medications. For further
information, see the previous ProMED-mail post (referenced below) and
MedicineNet.com
<http://www.medicinenet.com/pulmonary_fibrosis/article.htm#tocb>).
Further information is awaited. - Mod.CP]
