Mysterious disease of the Americans in Iraq caused by cigarettes

American military doctors suspected that smoking was a cause of unexplained pneumonia cases among soldiers who performed the task of command outside the United States. Most of them at the time of the disease were in Iraq or far from it, therefore, the cause of illness and death of several recognized combination of tobacco smoke, dust and heat.

Cases of mysterious illnesses occurred since the beginning of March this year.

The first victim was a twenty-specialist Josh Noyshe (Josh Neusche). Initially, his condition was regarded as a normal pneumonia.

Then, due to intoxication from Noyshe developed loose muscles, liver and kidneys. He fell in, and who died July 12 in Germany, which was evacuated.

To identify the causal agent of disease in Noyshe and the remaining patients could not be saved.

Chief United States Army physician James Peak (James Peake) has sent several teams of epidemiologists and physicians to conduct research in the Middle East. To find the causative agent of disease in Iraq and neighboring Kuwait analyze soil, water and air.

As a result, the development of the mysterious illness was associated with smoking.

On the findings of military experts said the military chief sanitary doctor of the U.S. Army Colonel Robert De Freyts (Robert DeFraites): "This is not an accident, the link with smoking. We know that it irritates the lungs and is a risk factor for pneumonia in general." Of the 19 cases of pneumonia since the beginning of March, four were associated with bacterial infection. In most of the remaining cases, the main suspicion falls on smoking.

As noted, ten patients had elevated blood levels of one of the types of leukocytes - eosinophilia. Usually this is due to parasitic infection or allergic diseases. However, the increase in the 3-11 times are ascribed to some irritating agent, possibly, tobacco smoke. Nine of these ten soldiers began smoking shortly before the illness.

According to de Freytsa and other war, the incidence of pneumonia was not unusual. Investigate the causes were due to the unusual severity of the disease, which required the use of artificial ventilation of the lungs. Two patients in the group with high eosinophilia died of pneumonia, the reasons which have remained until the end is not clear, 17 patients fully recovered.