Sixty-four-year-old Sudhir Mehta died of swine flu on
January 31, three days after being admitted to Civil Hospital. He was a
resident of Thaltej and was referred to the hospital by a private hospital in
his neighbourhood.
Swine flu is quickly acquiring epidemic-like
proportion in the state and people from across society are dying every day,
taking the death toll in the city to 55 by Monday. But a strand seems to run
through Mehta's and 22 other cases of death: all of them had a long history of
cardiac ailments.
In 40 per cent of the deaths, patients had had
cardiac issues that apparently made them more vulnerable to swine flu
infection.
“Swine flu can lead to more serious complications,
including pneumonia and respiratory failure. So, patients with cardiac ailments
become most vulnerable to infection,“ said Dr Rajesh Solanki, head of TB
department who is overseeing swine flu cases in the hospital.
Swine flu is an air-borne infection which through
throat reaches the lungs of the patient.Gradually the virus decreases the speed
of the pumping of the lungs which reduces oxygen flow into the body. Less
oxygen production affects other body organs.
“In such a situation, the weak organ in the body
caused due to additional medical complications gets affected. This also becomes
an additional cause of death,“ said Health Commissioner J P Gupta.
“We have seen that cardiac ailments, diabetes, asthma
are additional conditions of deaths in swine flu cases,“ he added.
Moreover, diabetic patients are also at risk of
getting swine flu infection. According to data provided by the hospital,
diabetic constitutes 20 per cent of the total co-morbid causes of deaths in the
air-borne infection. This is the second highest following cardiac issues.
Other than people with cardiac problems, there were
pregnant women and patients of arthritis, HIV and diabetes among the dead.
AGE NO BARRIER
As high as 80 per cent of cardiac patients who died
of swine flu infection were male in their late 60s. Also, in the younger group
who succumbed to swine flu, cardiac was the main pre-existing condition. It was
followed by diabetes and poor immunity.
“In the event of poor immunity, antibodies fail to
fight with the virus in the body which also becomes an additional condition,“
added Gupta.
70% DEATHS HAD CO-MORBID CONDITION
“In 70 per cent of the deaths, patients showed a long
history of some kind of disease,“ said Dr M M Prabhakar, medical superintendent
of Civil Hospital.
“These patients are most susceptible to swine flu
infection. They should be more care ful during the season and take
precautionary measures,“ he added.
The hospital is documenting all cases of death. The
data will be submitted to the state health department for analysis.The
department is already analysing several cases to find out more details.
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