cHeroKee
07-09-2009, 10:51 PM
July 10, 2009
H1N1 FLU PANDEMIC
Obese vulnerable to H1N1 (http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_401319.html)
http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20090710/obese-francisong.jpg
'Morbid obesity is one of the most common findings turning up in
severely ill patients,' said Ms Nikki Shindo, who is leading the
investigation of swine flu patients at the WHO in Geneva.
-- ST PHOTO: FRANCIS ONG
WASHINGTON - AN UNEXPECTED characteristic has emerged among many swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are fat, reported Bloomberg News.
Doctors tracking the pandemic say they see a pattern in hospital reports from Glasgow to Melbourne and from Santiago to New York. People infected with the bug who have a body mass index greater than 40, deemed morbidly obese, suffer respiratory complications that are harder to treat and can be fatal.
With the new virus on a collision course with the obesity epidemic, the World Health Organisation says it is gathering statistics to confirm and understand this development, said Bloomberg. Drugmaker Roche Holding AG is combing through studies to determine whether heavier people should get bigger doses of its Tamiflu antiviral.
'Morbid obesity is one of the most common findings turning up in severely ill patients,' said Ms Nikki Shindo, who is leading the investigation of swine flu patients at the WHO in Geneva. 'It's a huge problem.'
In Canada's Manitoba province, three out of five people treated for the new flu strain in intensive care units are obese, said Mr Ethan Rubenstein, head of infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Patients with flu symptoms should be considered at risk of complications if they carry excess weight, according to Mr Rubenstein.
So far, the evidence is anecdotal. No global or national data have been reported. Scotland, where deep-fried foods such as Mars bars and pizzas contribute to the highest obesity rate in Europe, reported the continent's first two deaths from H1N1 and has experienced a fifth of the region's fatalities.
'We do seem to have more than our fair share of people in intensive care,' said Mr Hugh Pennington, 71, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen. 'When the dust has settled, people will look at that.'
No deaths or severely ill patients have been recorded from among the 2,146 laboratory-confirmed cases in Japan, said Mr Yasuyuki Abe, a health ministry spokesman in Tokyo. Only 1.6 per cent of adults in Japan are obese, according to the WHO.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta noted the association among Californian H1N1 patients in a May 22 report. The agency is investigating whether overweight people need different antiviral treatment or flu vaccinations.
Last year, 26.1 per cent of adults in the US were obese, up from 25.6 per cent in 2007, the CDC said in a July 8 statement. The bug is reported to have killed 429 people worldwide since its discovery in the US and Mexico in April.
The infection, which has now spread as far as New Zealand and Norway, causes little more than a fever and cough in most cases. The majority of those who died were pregnant, had asthma, diabetes or other chronic diseases, according to the WHO.
H1N1 FLU PANDEMIC
Obese vulnerable to H1N1 (http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/World/Story/STIStory_401319.html)
http://www.straitstimes.com/STI/STIMEDIA/image/20090710/obese-francisong.jpg
'Morbid obesity is one of the most common findings turning up in
severely ill patients,' said Ms Nikki Shindo, who is leading the
investigation of swine flu patients at the WHO in Geneva.
-- ST PHOTO: FRANCIS ONG
WASHINGTON - AN UNEXPECTED characteristic has emerged among many swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are fat, reported Bloomberg News.
Doctors tracking the pandemic say they see a pattern in hospital reports from Glasgow to Melbourne and from Santiago to New York. People infected with the bug who have a body mass index greater than 40, deemed morbidly obese, suffer respiratory complications that are harder to treat and can be fatal.
With the new virus on a collision course with the obesity epidemic, the World Health Organisation says it is gathering statistics to confirm and understand this development, said Bloomberg. Drugmaker Roche Holding AG is combing through studies to determine whether heavier people should get bigger doses of its Tamiflu antiviral.
'Morbid obesity is one of the most common findings turning up in severely ill patients,' said Ms Nikki Shindo, who is leading the investigation of swine flu patients at the WHO in Geneva. 'It's a huge problem.'
In Canada's Manitoba province, three out of five people treated for the new flu strain in intensive care units are obese, said Mr Ethan Rubenstein, head of infectious diseases at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg. Patients with flu symptoms should be considered at risk of complications if they carry excess weight, according to Mr Rubenstein.
So far, the evidence is anecdotal. No global or national data have been reported. Scotland, where deep-fried foods such as Mars bars and pizzas contribute to the highest obesity rate in Europe, reported the continent's first two deaths from H1N1 and has experienced a fifth of the region's fatalities.
'We do seem to have more than our fair share of people in intensive care,' said Mr Hugh Pennington, 71, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen. 'When the dust has settled, people will look at that.'
No deaths or severely ill patients have been recorded from among the 2,146 laboratory-confirmed cases in Japan, said Mr Yasuyuki Abe, a health ministry spokesman in Tokyo. Only 1.6 per cent of adults in Japan are obese, according to the WHO.
Researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta noted the association among Californian H1N1 patients in a May 22 report. The agency is investigating whether overweight people need different antiviral treatment or flu vaccinations.
Last year, 26.1 per cent of adults in the US were obese, up from 25.6 per cent in 2007, the CDC said in a July 8 statement. The bug is reported to have killed 429 people worldwide since its discovery in the US and Mexico in April.
The infection, which has now spread as far as New Zealand and Norway, causes little more than a fever and cough in most cases. The majority of those who died were pregnant, had asthma, diabetes or other chronic diseases, according to the WHO.