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Swine Flu Kills Obese People Disproportionately

Philip K Dickhead writes "Bloomberg is reporting that the World Health Organization discovered a single, surprising characteristic that's emerged among swine flu victims who become severely ill: They are all fat. Infected people with a body mass index greater than 40 suffer respiratory complications that are harder to treat and can be fatal. The virus appears to be on a collision course with the obesity epidemic. WHO officials are gathering statistics to confirm and understand this development. 'It's very likely that if we went back retrospectively and looked at people who did poorly during seasonal flu, what would shake out is that obesity would be one of the risks.' Fat cells secrete chemicals that cause chronic, low-level inflammation that can hamper the body's immune response and narrow the airways, says Tim Armstrong, a doctor working in the WHO's chronic diseases department in Geneva."

22 of 661 comments (clear)

  1. Shit by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Funny

    Protect Stallman at all costs!

  2. This is just wrong... by glitch23 · · Score: 4, Funny

    "Morbid obesity is one of the most common findings turning up in severely ill patients," said Nikki Shindo, who is leading the investigation of swine flu patients at the WHO in Geneva. "It's a huge problem."

    That is just wrong.

    --
    this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom. -- Lincoln, Gettysburg Address
    1. Re:This is just wrong... by T-Kir · · Score: 3, Funny

      Sounds like you got the skinny on the whole situation.

      --
      Are you local? There's nothing for you here!
  3. Re:Dammit, BMI != fat in all cases by aristotle-dude · · Score: 2, Funny

    BMI is a bogus and misleading measure. Try percent body fat instead.

    So are you telling us that you are just big boned?

    --
    Jesus was a compassionate social conservative who called individuals to sin no more.
  4. Re:Finally!! A Cure For Obesity!! by sopssa · · Score: 5, Funny

    Pig flu affects fat persons.. I didn't see that one coming!

  5. The story title is wrong ... by tomhudson · · Score: 5, Funny

    It isn't killing them disproportionally - it's killing them in direct relationship to their proportions :-)

    1. Re:The story title is wrong ... by rizole · · Score: 2, Funny

      It takes no more 5 minutes to do 30 pushups and 60 crunches -

      Damn...it's taken me over 40 years to manage that many!

  6. Karma? by WoRLoKKeD · · Score: 3, Funny
    Well, this is just helping back up my ideas.

    I previously believed Swine Flu was created by pigs to get revenge for people eating too much bacon. Now it's confirmed. Can I have a Nobel Prize now?

    --
    Immolation is the sincerest form of flattery.
  7. It's called "swine flu" for a reason ... by tomhudson · · Score: 1, Funny

    It kills people who eat like pigs.

    1. Re:It's called "swine flu" for a reason ... by drinkypoo · · Score: 2, Funny

      By the same token, I found the subject/headline a bit ironic. It sounds to me like the swine flu kills obese people proportionally. The article even discusses approximately what the proportions are, and about what proportions you have to have to qualify (usually due to pro-portioning at the buffet...)

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  8. someone had to say it... by tpjunkie · · Score: 1, Funny

    God hates fats!

  9. waste : hip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    "waste to hip ratio?" Is that measured in grams of feces per day over number of Apple products owned?

    1. Re:waste : hip by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      AKA Courics/Jobs

  10. Re:Cost of subsidies by fuzzyfuzzyfungus · · Score: 4, Funny

    Silence! Obesity is caused exclusively by poor character, and our gigantic farm subsidies are there to Protect America's Family Farms(tm), not Archer Daniels Midland.

    How dare you question America? Also, while I'm at it, corn is by far the most efficient source of ethanol, unlike sugar cane, which is for communists.

  11. Re:Dammit, BMI != fat in all cases by BikeHelmet · · Score: 3, Funny

    You mean waist.

    Waste to intake ratio might actually be be another way to chart it. We'd have to do it, to find out. ;)

  12. Re:Darwinism is Finally Back! by Concerned+Onlooker · · Score: 3, Funny

    I agree. We've used science to keep people alive that just should have died off a long time ago. People like Stephen Hawking, for instance. What a drag on the gene pool he's been.

    --
    http://www.rootstrikers.org/
  13. Genius! by jaypifer · · Score: 5, Funny

    Clearly this is a terrorist act targeting Americans!

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    Never go to sea with two chronometers; take one or three.
  14. Super Lame!! by zmollusc · · Score: 3, Funny

    My only chance is to filter my air through this huge pile of empty pie wrappers!

    --
    They whose government reduces their essential liberties for temporary security, receive neither liberty nor security.
  15. Re:Dammit, BMI != fat in all cases by Rakshasa+Taisab · · Score: 2, Funny

    Your high BMI is Gods gift to you, and one day you'll be _JUST_ like the Hulk. Don't let anyone tell you any differently!

    --
    - These characters were randomly selected.
  16. On the upside... by rekinom · · Score: 3, Funny

    > Swine Flu Collides With Fat Epidemic ...could mean a significant decrease in methane emissions, and possibly even a measurable reduction in global warming.

  17. Re:Well... yeh. by Anarchduke · · Score: 2, Funny

    I want to weigh -10 kilos. Will it teach me to do that?

    --
    who prays for Satan? Who in 18 centuries has had the humanity to pray for the 1 sinner that needed it most? ~Mark Twain
  18. Re:Well... yeh. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    Does anyone else find it kind of suspicious that a killer orca suggests people go swimming?