Obesity not only raises the risk of severe flu complications but also increases the transmission rate of the flu when compared to non-obese adults, reports a new study. The findings of the study are published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. "This is the first real evidence that obesity might impact more than just disease severity," said senior study author Aubree Gordon, MPH, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan School of Public Health. "It might directly impact transmission as well."
‘Obesity may play a part in how flu spreads and potentially increases the opportunity for the infection to spread to others.’
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Analyzing data collected from approximately 1,800 people in 320 households in Managua, Nicaragua, researchers investigated the effect of obesity on the duration of viral shedding over three influenza seasons from 2015 to 2017. Obese adults with flu symptoms and laboratory-confirmed influenza shed influenza A virus for 42 percent longer than adults with flu who were not obese.
Among obese individuals infected with flu who were only mildly ill or had no symptoms, the difference was even greater: These obese adults shed influenza A virus for 104 percent longer than non-obese adults with flu.
The duration of viral shedding was determined by tests of nose and throat samples, which detected the presence of influenza virus RNA but did not indicate whether the viruses were infectious.
Additional research, now underway, will help determine if the flu virus shed for longer periods by obese individuals is indeed infectious and can spread the illness to others, Dr. Gordon said.
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Obesity can alter the body's immune response and lead to chronic inflammation, which increases with age, in addition to making breathing more difficult and increasing the need for oxygen. These factors may help explain how obesity could affect influenza risk, severity, and transmission potential, the study authors noted.
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"It is therefore even more important to develop effective strategies to prevent and control influenza, especially in the overweight and obese population, which could be challenging because of the poor vaccine responses in this population," wrote Dr. Schultz-Cherry, who was not involved with the study. "With increasing focus on the development of a universal influenza vaccine, improved protection from influenza is on the horizon. The question remains whether these approaches will not only protect this target population but also reduce viral shedding duration."
Source-Eurekalert