August 05, 2005
RU-486 Kills Over 50% of Those Exposed
It has always been common knowledge that RU-486 was fatal to the unborn child. But now it seems to be taking out the mother on occasion as well.
The abortion drug mifepristone (Mifeprex,TM RU-486) has been linked to rare cases of fatal bacterial infections, but until now the connection has not been clearly understood.
At least 5 women in the US and Canada have died from septic shock after taking mifepristone. C. sordellii has been linked to 3 of those cases, while the bacteria remains unidentified in the others. C. sordellii infections are rare outside of mifepristone use and have proven particularly dangerous because they often lack the usual warning signs, such as fever and tenderness on examination.I remember when this was first being introduced and people were trying to get it approved for over the counter sale. Imagine the potential death toll that could have developed.
I would like to know why this problem has only been noticed in North America though. I was under the impression that this had been used in Europe for a long time. Does this mean the Europeans kept the side effects hidden from the general public? All we ever heard was about how safe it was.
Posted by Sid at August 5, 2005 11:03 AM | Healthy Living
