Consequences Of The Flu Worse For The Obese

October 27, 2009 by Kirsten Whittaker

There are a low number of swine influenza cases in Michigan that have experts pondering why the consequences of influenza are worse for people who are classed as overweight.

If you’ve got a BMI over thirty, you are considered obese, and even though you aren’t sickly, you may be at a elevated risk of dreadful complications (and even death) from the new A ( H1N1 ) swine influenza pathogen according to a statement released in early July.

This comes from studies on subjects in a Michigan hospital during May-June 2009 who were so sick from the influenza they were hospitalized and put on ventilators.

3 of the ten died, and 2 of those deaths were otherwise healthy patients, but were severely fat, with BMIs of over 40.

The study wasn’t designed to see if obesity was linked to A ( H1N1 ), but it was a surprise that 7 out of the 10 patients admitted to the University of Michigan Medical Center were very overweight. 9 out of the ten dropped into the obese category.

Although health complications like blood clots in the lungs and kidney failure had been seen in swine influenza cases before, the amounts here were alarming.

There were six out of ten who had kidney failure with 5 who developed blood clots in the lungs.

Only three of the ten patients had another health concern. Not one of the surviving patients have fully gained back their health according to researchers.

The good information coming out of the research is that doctors can safely double the dose of oseltamivir, the antiviral drug known as Tamiflu, that’s been shown to be effective against this illness.

While results can’t conclude from these observations that obesity is a risk factor for A ( H1M1 ), or complications from the virus. It’s always possible that the patients had some undiagnosed condition difficult by the flu.

Overweight folk also have a boosted risk of asthma and other health Problems that might make them more susceptible to this particular virus.

The CDC has the amount of U.S. Swine influenza ( lab tested and confirmed ) cases at over 37,000, but they admit this doesn’t represent the number of people with the condition across the land.

gurus suggest that as many as 1,000,000 USA citizens could have been infected with the A ( H1N1 ) virus, suffered a mild to moderate illness and recovered untouched.

To date A ( H1N1 ) has spread to seventy countries around the world, with the US reporting the largest amount of cases.

Barely three months after its first appearance in March 2009, A ( H1N1 ) was declared a pandemic ( a mark of the virus’ capability to spread, not its potential seriousness ) by the World Health Organization in June.

Right now A ( H1N1 ) influenza is spreading continuously in the Southern Hemisphere, right along with seasonal flu.

Though the virus isn’t as deadly as past examples, and hasn’t mutated into a more virulent form, experts are still scared, still researching and learning all they are able to.

Researchers have spotted some differences between the A ( H1N1 ) swine influenza and the seasonal variety.

- Spreads in the summertime months – is affecting mainly older children and teens – affects the body differently – replicates in the lungs and colon

Whilst the research can support no hard-and-fast results on obesity and swine flu, it does paint an engaging picture of the patient most inclined to be severely impacted.

It also adds to a pattern medical practitioners’s are seeing in hospices around the planet – a BMI bigger than forty ( considered morbidly obese ) puts patients at risk for respiratory complications that are very hard to treat.

You can scale back your risks of complications by embracing a healthy lifestyle – eat healthy, exercise frequently don’t smoke, and if you drink do so in moderation.

Anyone who’s overweight or obese and anxious about the consequences of the flu on their health can look at A ( H1N1 ) at the present another excuse to grab control of their weight, their health and their life.

Next – just head on over to the Daily Health Bulletin for more information on swine flu in usa, plus for a limited time get 5 free fantastic health reports. Click here for more details on information on swine flu in usa.

Share and Enjoy: