As President Barack Obama declared the swine flu pandemic sweeping the nation a National Emergency, USA Today reported that a link may have been found between the H1N1 virus and obese patients. A report released by Center for Disease Control and Prevention health officials last week found that in a study of 10 Michigan patients who were seriously ill, 9 were obese or extremely obese.

The CDC says obesity is unknown risk factor when it comes to the virus, but so far quite a high percentage of patients suffering from the severe flu are obese or seriously obese (a BMI of more than 30). A possible reason for this is that obese people are more vulnerable to other chronic illnesses which could weaken their immune system, leaving them defenseless against the H1N1 virus.

“Clinicians need to be aware that severe complications can occur in patients with the novel H1N1 virus, particularly in extremely obese patients,” Dr. Tim Uyeki, a flu expert at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said in the USA Today report.

To date, more than 1 000 Americans have died from swine flu, while 20 000 more have been hospitalized because of the virus.

Source