Something We Thought We Should Pass Along

Shortly after the sudden death of our close friend and fellow staff member here at Phillyist, Star C. Foster, reader Lisa sent us an email offering her condolences. She also told us how pulmonary embolism, which caused Star's death, was also the cause of tragedy for a friend of hers. She then provided us with some information about the condition, and urged us to get the word out about it and how it could be prevented. We had planned to put up a post right away, but perhaps due to the fact that we were still raw, we told ourselves we needed to collect more information, and set the post aside for later.

Now it's been six months since Star's death, and the recent installation of a plaque in her honor in Rittenhouse Square reminded us that we still had work to do.

First of all, due to some confusion about the details, we may have passed on some slightly misleading information when we first posted about Star's death, and we apologize for that. Regardless, it's certain that the ultimate cause was indeed pulmonary embolism. eMedicine tells us that: "Pulmonary embolism (PE) is an extremely common and highly lethal condition that is a leading cause of death in all age groups." It's most often caused by a blood clot breaking loose and moving to the heart or lungs. Star's sister Debbie informs us that Star was actually aware of the danger of blood clots, and had had them diagnosed and treated in the past, but since the pain she felt in her leg this time was different, she ruled out the possibility. "Additionally, Star had a blood disorder — Factor V Leiden Deficiency — that she wasn't aware of. Essentially the ability of the body to break down a blood clot is not effective. We didn't find this out until after she died. Information on this can be found here: http://www.fvleiden.org/. It's very common in people of European decent, and most people don't know that they have it."

The percentage of the population likely to be affected by PE is small, but the risk of being affected by blood clots does increase with the use of birth control methods like the pill. Both Debbie and Lisa agree that: "All women, but especially women on the pill, should be told that if they EVER experience unexplained pain in their leg or foot, especially if accompanied by redness or swelling, to see a doctor immediately and insist on being checked for a blood clot."

More information about pulmonary embolism can be found all over the web, although of course it would be best to ask a health professional if you have any serious questions about PE and the likelihood of it affecting you or a loved one.

We hope this helps.