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Biotech / Medical : SARS and Avian Flu -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (2636)	10/13/2005 9:47:41 PM
From: Think4Yourself	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 4232

Cytokine Storms in healthy people killed them in Spanish Flu Pandemic. The non-healthy fared slightly better because their bodies weren't able to mount such a strong response. I realize that these influenzas are unusual, and most influenzas kill the old and infirm. Supposedly H5N1 has caused the same storms in the deaths in Asia. The people killed were not the old and infirm.

To: Maurice Winn who wrote (2636)	10/14/2005 1:20:16 AM
From: kikogrey	Respond to of 4232

In a "normal" influenza cycle the elderly and frail die at a much higher rate than the healthy. Why? Probably two reasons. 1. Each influenza cycle there is a an age group that has some immunity to the current virus because of a prior influenza infection (like years ago) 2. Most importantly the elderly and frail die in higher proportions because they don't die of influenza directly but rather they die from the complications of the flu, usually pneumonia. The Spanish flu was different because people died quickly, that means they died as a direct result of influenza, NOT secondary complications. Let me emphasize this is the big difference in which groups are more vulnerable to die. In normal influenza, it is rare for the young (except very young such as infants) and healthy to die. They may become quite ill but don't usually suffer from the secondary complications that the frail and elderly do. Why are the elderly more vulnerable to secondary infections? A few reasons: 1) their immune symptoms are not as robust as when they were young 2) they are much more likely to suffer from other medical problems (such a diabetes, cancer) which makes them more vulnerable to infections 3) they are much more likely to be immobile and the flu increases their immobility with weakness and muscle aches, fluid losses, etc. May lead to falls which can kill the elderly. Immobility leads directly to pneumonia. In short, the elderly will die if there is avian flu, they will not fare better than the young and healthy. The big difference in this avian flu is that the young and healthy will ALSO die.