Lessons learned from Secretary of State’s cerebral venous and dural sinus vein thrombosis

Days before the Secretary of State — Hillary Clinton — was to testify at the Benghazi fiasco hearing last month, news came out that she suffered from a cerebral concussion from a fainting and fall, which was in turn from a bad case of intestinal flu.

The media almost immediately began to make nasty comments saying she faked illness to avoid testifying at the Benghazi hearing.

Now they all know how wrong they are!  Their humors are bad taste at best, their jeers are ill-conceived, insensitive, and immoral in making fun on one who is potentially seriously ill.

The cerebral venous and dural sinus vein thrombosis is extremely rare.  In large teaching hospitals, only 5 to 10 patients with cerebral vein thrombosis (CVT) are admitted yearly.  The diagnosis of which is quite challenging, especially before the era of MRI/MRA.

Her recent fall and head injury is a precipitating factor and her history of prior blood clot (which suggests she may be relatively prothrombotic) in 1990s makes her more vulnerable for this rare event.

An undiagnosed and untreated transverse sinus vein thrombosis (which is most likely what she has — blood clot in one of the large veins in the space between the brain and the skull) will lead to increased venous pressure, impaired cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) absorption and elevated intracranial pressure and cerebral dysfunction and can be potentially fatal.

Her doctors must have been vigilant in watching over her.  To pick up thing so rare is not easy.  The doctors stride not to miss anything that can be potentially serious if undiagnosed and untreated, however rare it may be.

She is now in good hands and complete recovery is expected.  Kudos to her doctors at the New York – Presbyterian Hospital (Columbia U). Unfortunately the press may never learn and will continue to prejudge.