Published 6 October 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b4103
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;339:b4103

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People with asthma are most at risk of complications from swine flu, study shows

Oliver Ellis

1 BMJ

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

The government has released further information on the underlying conditions that can cause swine flu to become more dangerous, showing that asthma is the most common comorbidity found in those who are admitted to hospital.

The figures come from a study conducted by the Flu Clinical Information Network (FLU-CIN) and funded by the Department of Health, which looked at a sample of 192 patients in England who had been hospitalised with the H1N1 virus. It found that lung disease was the most common underlying condition, with more than 25% of those admitted having asthma. Cardiac disease was present in 15% of patients admitted to hospital.

England’s chief medical officer, Liam Donaldson, noted that pregnant women made up 5% of hospitalised patients who had a diagnosis of swine flu, a "small but significant proportion."

The figures also underline the dangers of swine flu to previously healthy young people. Although older people . . . [Full text of this article]


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