Obesity Increases Swine Flu Risk
Posted on Aug 31, 2009 by Reena Daruwalla | Comments 0
As per a recent article in the Guardian, UK, a link has emerged between H1N1 Swine flu fatalities and obesity as being one of the contributing factors. Characteristics of 574 deaths associated with the pandemic H1N1 influenza up until the middle of July were studied by the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance who came upon this finding of a link between swine flu and obesity.
In this study the researchers found two underlying risk factors; i.e. pregnancy and obesity that contributed. The study found that 16 women – representing 10% of all female deaths that were studied – were pregnant or had recently delivered at the time of their death. Half of these also had other health issues. When it was an underlying disease was found in a person who died from swine flu, in more than 25% of the cases that underlying condition was either diabetes and/or obesity.
There are demographic variations in these findings and it is younger people that are seen as being at higher risk from this strain of the flu. Researchers tend to agree that it is possible that older people have already had some exposure to previous strains of swine flu, giving them some resistance; however younger people, not having been exposed to the virus before have little or far lower resistance.
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Posted in: H1N1 • Swine Flu News
