November - 4 - 2009
Two-thirds of those hospitalized with complications from swine flu have had underlying risk factors associated with obesity, such as diabetes or heart disease. Researchers analyzed data from the 1,088 H1N1 hospitalizations that occurred in California, starting with the outbreak this spring through Aug. 11. Although less than 5 percent of the population is morbidly obese, about a quarter of those hospitalized with swine flu have been morbidly obese. The full report is published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.