Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Effects Of The Influenza Worse For The Overweight

By Kirsten Whittaker

There are a low number of swine influenza cases in Michigan that have experts wondering why the effects of influenza are worse for people who are classed as obese.

If you've got a BMI over 30, you're considered obese, and although you are not sickly, you may be at a increased risk of dreadful complications (and even death) from the new A ( H1N1 ) swine flu virus according to a dispatch released in early July.

This comes from studies on patients in a Michigan surgery during May-June 2009 who were ill from the influenza they were hospitalised and put on ventilators.

three of the ten died, and 2 of those deaths were otherwise healthy patients, but considered severely obese, with BMIs of above 40.

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

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

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

Only three of the 10 patients had an additional health concern. None of the living patients have fully recovered according to researchers.

The good news out of the report is that medical practitioners can safely double the dose of oseltamivir, the antiviral drug known as Tamiflu, that's been proven to be effective against this condition.

While research cannot conclude from these observations that being heavily overweight is a risk factor for A ( H1M1 ), or complications from the illness. It's always possible the patients had some undiagnosed condition or illness difficult by the flu.

Obese folk also have a greater risk of asthma and other health Problems that could make them more subject to this particular virus.

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

Experts believe that as many as one million USA citizens could have been infected with the A ( H1N1 ) virus, suffered a mild to moderate sickness and recovered untouched.

To date A ( H1N1 ) has now spread to seventy countries around the planet, with the united states reporting the largest number of sufferers.

Barely 3 months after its first appearance in March 2009, A ( H1N1 ) was announced a pandemic ( a mark of the virus' capability to spread, not its seriousness ) by the World Health Organization in June.

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

Though the pathogen is not as deadly as past examples, and has not mutated into a more virulent form, experts are still scared, still researching and understanding all they're able to.

Researchers have noticed some differences comparing the A ( H1N1 ) swine flu and the seasonal variety.

- Spreads in the summer months - is affecting generally older kids and young adults - is affecting 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 a fascinating image of the patient most inclined to be severely unwell.

It also adds to a pattern doctor's are observing in hospitals around the world - a BMI bigger than 40 ( considered morbidly obese ) puts patients at risk for respiratory complications that are awfully hard to treat.

You can reduce your hazards of complications by living a healthful way of life - eat healthy, exercise regularly don't smoke, and if you drink do so in moderation.

Anyone who's overweight or obese and anxious about the effects of the flu on their health can look at A ( H1N1 ) at present one more reason to grab control of their weight, their health and their life.

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