Health News and Scoops

Current media attention forecasting the arrival of H1N1 flu vaccines in the next few weeks1 and stories about its potential as a pandemic2 have people focused on medicinal cures and treatments rather than prevention or perspective, according to Dr. Steven Marcus, Executive Medical Director of the New Jersey Poison Information & Education System (NJPIES). “The viral nature of this latest flu strain should be cause for greater use of the phone as the public’s first line of defense to reduce spread of infection,” Marcus notes. State residents can call trained medical professionals at the NJPIES hotline (1-800-222-1222) to get information about various flu strain symptoms, prevention measures, as well as treatments and proper dosages.

Public health officials agree that most cases of this season’s flu, including the H1N1 strain, will not require medical intervention, and will be best treated the old-fashioned way with bed rest and plenty of fluids. Those considered most at risk are those historically at highest risk for the flu, including pregnant women and people with preexisting chronic conditions. However, H1N1 is considered more contagious than the seasonal flu and children, rather than seniors, are likely more susceptible.

(Source) Press

Studies in Michigan released last week warn that obesity may exacerbate typical effects of the swine flu, leading to a much more dangerous manifestation of the virus. Although media attention has waned the last month or so, the number of swine flu cases around the world has continued to increase. The total number of cases (as reported by the Center for Disease Control) has increased to more than 37,000 and the total number of deaths so far number 211. The speed at which the virus is moving is still precariously fast, although in many parts of the United States, the incidence of swine flu is finally slowing down. This is most likely due to the superior health care that the United States has to offer, as well as the extreme efforts that the public has been urged to take as far as prevention and treatment go.

Of the cases seen in Michigan, the research group noted that 9 out of the 10 patients to become sick with the swine flu in Michigan were obese or morbidly obese. Three of them died. Now, please do not get too excited about this in any way. I am not too impressed. Obesity (and especially extreme obesity) is perhaps medicine’s newest and most profound obstacle. Obesity leads to a seemingly infinite amount of risk factors for any condition or disease. Patients who are obese tend to have hypertension, are more likely to have asthma and other respiratory issues, and in more simple words, are just not as good at fending off germs. The body is not meant to be obese, and although the term is now quite difficult to define, using my own good judgment I am using obese to mean any unnatural state of being caused by excess adipose tissue. I’m not blaming individual people quite yet, but I am saying that to publish a study claiming that obesity is a risk factor in swine flu is like saying that overeating is a risk factor for obesity.

In addition to this study being relatively obvious, keep in mind that only ten patients were involved. This is not what I would call a large sample size (no pub intended). There are so many other factors involved in the epidemiology of the swine flu that to see a trend with ten patients is pushing it. Just because you see A and B does not mean that A caused B (although we all wish we could have gotten a publication out of claiming this).