Flu Mostly Hospitalizes the Obese According to CDC

As the flu season continues, it has become apparent that the flu is targeting the heavy this season. According to data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the influenza virus for this current year is hospitalizing people who are obese or suffer from a metabolic disorder.

According to the CDC, as of late January, around 45 percent of all patients hospitalized for influenza were considered obese. This is a striking number, considering that the flu is commonly seen doing its worst to seniors past the age of 65. Yet this year only 23 percent of all flu-related hospitalizations have been in people 65 years of age and older.

The majority of hospitalizations seen this year rests nearly evenly split between 18 to 49 and 50-64 years of age. In both these age groups, the majority of them had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher. In other words, this year the sickest individuals are young and obese.

The CDC data indicates that unwell seniors past the age of 65 still make up the majority of flu-related deaths, but those healthy enough to fight off the virus have proven more resilient than the younger generations, regardless of aging immune systems. This is likely because older generations were exposed to more predecessors of the H1N1 virus in their lifetimes, and have developed more antibodies suited to fighting off the strain. Younger generations however, are more unfamiliar to the virus, and thus more susceptible to it.

Still, this does not explain why obese people are more susceptible to the virus, and according to the CDC, the reason remains unclear. 

Interestingly, the H1N1 pandemic of 2009, a strain nearly identical to the one seen today, also hospitalized a majority of obese individuals. Those with metabolic disorders also proved to be at high-risk, due to complications of their disorder that result in a higher BMI.

The CDC has stated that only about 40 percent of the U.S. population is vaccinated for influenza each year. The current vaccination has proven to be effective in preventing infection of this year's H1N1 strain. They recommend that even while the worst of the flu season appears to be coming to an end, those who have not been vaccinated should be.

You can find our more about this year's flu pandemic from the Janary 17 CDC report.