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medpundit |
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Thursday, October 28, 2004Palestinian Leader Yasser Arafat was scheduled to fly to Paris early Friday for emergency medical treatment after his health declined sharply in recent days and teams of international doctors were unable to diagnose his ailment, according to a senior Palestinian official. "All his doctors agreed that he needs a hospital, some place where all kinds of tests can be made safely," said Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath.... Shaath described Arafat as "very weak, frail and pale." Arafat, 75, has been sick for about a week and has been examined and treated by doctors from Tunisia, Egypt and Jordan. Doctors and aides have described his illness variously as a severe flu, an intestinal infection and gallstones. Earlier this week, doctors said he underwent an endoscopy to examine his digestive tract. Israeli intelligence officials have speculated that he has stomach or colon cancer, which Palestinian officials have denied. ....Arafat's spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, told reporters early in the day that the Palestinian leader was "in stable condition, but he is still in need of more rest and more medical care." He would not discuss the nature of Arafat's illness or provide any details, other than to say Arafat had not lost consciousness. "The president is seriously sick," said Mustafa Barghouti, a Palestinian political analyst and reform advocate who was among the visitors to the compound. "He has had serious problems with his gastrointestinal system. He has not been able to eat, and he's been vomiting." Then there are the reports of his mental condition: But Arafat aides said the Palestinian leader, who spends much time dozing, often suffers memory loss and cannot recognize the people around him, even his bodyguards. And reports that his platelet count is low, when considered with this picture in which he looks jaundiced, his face emaciated, but his belly bulging - all suggest liver failure. He's 75. My money is on cancer with liver metastases. posted by Sydney on 10/28/2004 09:58:00 PM 0 comments 0 Comments: |
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