Woman Dies of Toxic Shock Syndrome

A woman who used a Playtex tampon died from toxic shock syndrome in what is believed to be the first case reported in the nation this year, a Riverside County coroner’s official said Saturday.

Tammy Bader McNabb, 21, was admitted to Riverside General Hospital on March 29 suffering symptoms of the disease that has been linked to the use of tampons. She died last Monday, said Carl B. Smith Jr., the county’s chief deputy coroner.

The woman suffered a low-grade fever, nausea, vomiting and the sinking blood pressure associated with the disease before she died, he said.

“There’s no doubt that toxic shock syndrome is what we were facing,” Smith said, releasing the results of an autopsy.

Laboratory tests on the woman’s blood and on the tampon she used revealed the presence of staphlococcus aureus, the bacteria that produces the toxin responsible for toxic shock syndrome, Smith said.

McNabb used a brand of Playtex tampon that was recently recalled by the company, Smith said. He added that McNabb’s death was apparently the first such case reported in the nation this year.