What may seem like just a bad cold or simple pneumonia may be a life-threatening case of pulmonary embolism.

Former American Vice-President Dan Quayle never knew what hit him. He was promoting his memoir,”Standing Firm;’ when he experienced severe shortness of breath and had trouble finishing his speeches. He thought it was just a bad cold and didn’t bother to see a doctor. It was a bad decision. On November 27, 1 g94, he was brought to the emergency room at the Indiana University Medical Center The doctor’s diagnosis: “walking pneumonia:’

Quayle, then 47, was sent home; he thought the problem was over The following day, however, his breathing difficulty worsened and he was admitted to the emergency room again. After further tests, doctors re-diagnosed his condition as a “pulmonary embolism;’ or having a blood clot in his lung. “You’d be surprised how often a pulmonary embolism is missed, even with most skilled physicians7Quayle said in a statement following his release, “Misdiagnosis is common. I was lucky very lucky:’

He was indeed very lucky. In the United States, pulmonary embolism is the third most common cause of death in hospitalized patients, with at least 650,000 cases occurring annually. Autopsy studies have shown that approximately 60 percent of patients who died in the hospital had pulmonary embolism, and the diagnosis was missed in up to 70 percent of the cases,

In other parts of the world, the incidence of pulmonary embolism varies substantially from country to country. Experts claim that “observed variation” is likely due to differences in the accuracy of diagnosis rather than the disease incidence.

“In the 1 ggo5, it was believed that Filipinos are less suscept to pulmonary embolism7says Dr. Willie I Ong, a cardiologist at Manila Doctors Hospital. “But recent reports seem to indicate that we are at similar risks.”

The name Genting represents far more than just one winning concept and one celebrated destination. Says Dato’ Lim Kok Thay, managing director of Genting Group: “It represents a synergy of corporate dynamism, drawing from vast resources of the group that comprise more than 14,000 employees, 12,000 acres of choice resort lands and 100,000 acres of prime plantation lands throughout Malaysia.”

Founded by its chairman and chief executive officer Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, the Genting Group began 31 years ago as a cool hilltop hotel surrounded by primeval forest and mountainous terrain. That hilltop hotel has since expanded to become Genting Highlands Resort, one of the most popular tourist destinations in Asia.

Over the years, the group has spread its wings from its initial focus on leisure and hospitality to plantations, properties, power generation, paper manufacturing and oil and gas explorations and production activities. Against the challenges posed by the regional economic downturn, the Genting Group continues to work hard to improve its infrastructure, facilities and services to its valuable customers.

“We believe it is important to strengthen and improve on our core businesses, especially in difficult market conditions,” says Dato’ Lim. And the Genting Group, which comprises six core business divisions, has been doing just that in the recent years.

Genting’s Leisure & Hospitality division has constantly upgraded and refurbished its existing entertainment facilities, as well as added new entertainment attractions to Genting Highlands Resort to maintain its position as the premier holiday resort in Southeast Asia.

In 1998, the division, via Resorts World Bhd, acquired an associate stake in Star Cruises PLC, the leading cruise line in Asia-Pacific and the second- most-profitable in the world.

The Oil & Gas division has ventured into successful oil and gas exploratory activities in neighbouring countries and will soon gain a toehold in production in China.