Obesity linked to swine flu deaths

Obesity has emerged as a possible contributing factor in fatal swine flu cases, according to ground-breaking research looking at deaths caused by the pandemic in countries around the world.

The claim is made by a team from the French Institute for Public Health Surveillance, which has studied the characteristics of 574 deaths associated with the pandemic H1N1 influenza.

According to the team’s findings, published in medical journal Eurosurveillance, underlying disease was found in at least half of all fatal cases. Mortality patterns were in many cases similar to those associated with seasonal flu. But the team observed: “Two risk factors are noticeable: pregnancy and obesity.”

Pregnancy is already a well-documented risk factor in seasonal influenza and in previous pandemics. 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.

But the conclusion that obesity may be a factor in some swine flu deaths opens up a new line of investigation for epidemiologists. Where an underlying disease was found to be present after someone had died of swine flu, in more than one in four cases the deceased had a metabolic condition – diabetes and/or obesity.

The team, which concluded further research needed to be done to establish the link, also found significant demographic variations among those affected by the pandemic.