There were 1,088 people hospitalized or killed in California by H1N1 flu between April 23 and Aug. 11, and a report out in today’s issue of JAMA sheds some light on who they were:
- Their median age was 27 – much younger than is common with seasonal flu.
- 68% of them had risk factors (underlying health conditions) for influenza complications.
- More than half were obese.
- Those most likely to be hospitalized were infants.
- Those most likely to die (18%-20%) were age 50 or older, and the most common causes of death were viral pneumonia and acute respiratory distress syndrome.