Asthma May Lead to H1N1 Complications
November 19, 2009 by Marijke Durning, RN
Filed under Diseases & Conditions
Children who have asthma are at higher risk of developing problems if they contract the H1N1 flu, more so than if they have the seasonal flu, say researchers.
Researchers in Toronto, Canada, investigated the differences between 58 children with H1N1 who were admitted to the Hospital for the Hospital for Sick Kids, in 
Toronto, and 200 who had been admitted to the same hospital with complications from the seasonal flu, between 2004 and 2008.
The researchers found that 22% of the children who were admitted because of H1N1 had asthma, while only 6% of those with seasonal influenza were asthmatic. In addition, about 50% of those children with H1N1 who had to be admitted to the intensive care unit had asthma (study).
Other differences included:
- Older children were admitted with H1N1 than with the seasonal flu
- 84% of the H1N1 admissions presented with cough and fever only
- 37% had other symptoms, like vomiting and/or diarrhea
- Both influenzas resulted in an average 4-day hospital stay
The good news is that none of the children who were admitted with H1N1 died, while there was one death over the five years among those children with the seasonal flu.
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Image: iStock.com
My gf has asthma and it hurts me to see her in pain. She always has an inhaler and I do hope she doesn’t get that flu. I give her fruits. I hope that helps..
I completely agree – this is very alarming. My daughter has very severe asthma and obviously get panicked by it. There was a time that she didn’t want to take her medication as she didn’t understand what was happening to her. My friend then recommended a book published by a company called Medikidz. They specialise in providing medical information for children and parents through graphic novels, medical information pamphlets and a social networking site aimed at providing a community for children to meet others with the same conditions.
They have recently released a book on asthma called “What’s up with Max? Medikidz explain Asthma” which I found absolutely invaluable in explaining the illness to Francesca. The Medikidz take Max on a tour of the human body explaining asthma in a child-friendly way so that it is understandable and fun for kids to read. More information can be found on Medikidz at http://www.medikidz.com and copies of the book can be bought from here also.
I cannot stress enough how much the book helped Francesca – she now understands what is happening to her and as a result is much less reluctant to take her medicine.