26-year-old dies from swine flu

how does one die from this flu...dehydration, rampant infection, what?

About one a week since the flu's dormant season began....gonna be a tough Fall/Winter this year.

no underlying medical problems doubtful

H1N1 seems to target ones respiratory system more severely than other flu strains. Hence, people tend to die from pneumonia or other respiratory complications developed as a result of the flu.

Standard flu on its own IS a potential fatal virus. People forget that an like to group it with the common cold, but it isn't. Any strain of the flu has the potential to kill roughly 0.1% of those infected, even if they aren't already at risk due to prior medical conditions. That's why we have an immunization program, where no one wants to even bother putting much work into one for the common cold. The common cold has virtually no chance of killing you if you are already healthy, the flu does (even if only a very low chance).

Yes, what's the secret here? Everyone gets 'flulike symptoms...we hardly run off to the ER and ask for swine flu test. Someone is dropping the ball here for the public, please help us out!!!!

Death can be from resulting pneumonia and multiple organ failure.

I heard that the otherwise healthy young people who have died from "Swine Flu" are usually smokers. I wonder if this is true?

Well, why would they give you good information you could use, like HOW one dies from this flu, or symptoms, or how to care for yourself if you get it, or what to do if your child gets it. This is the Globe. All that matters is the body count and apparently which Kennedy is dying and why and what color of dress they were wearing and what kind of flowers were delivered at what time of day.

One dies by NOT listening to the WIZARD Who is telling everyone to take the drugs ...... Pay NO attention to the facts ...... more people die from all flues !!! thousands more die of auto accidents ...... millions of heart problems and cancer ..... soooooo let's spend $$$$ MILLIONS $$$$ on this SWINE flue I just wonder what happened to the last bird flue that was gonna kill us all ?????

What kind of prevention besides hygeine can I offer my kids?

The "Spanish flu" epidemic of 1918 killed ~10% of the world's population and infected a third. It also was H1N1. The reason otherwise healthy people die is because of an amplified immune response (see cytokine storm).

Incidentally, it's suspected that the current outbreak started in Mexico, where American pig farming moved after NAFTA due to Mexico's cheaper labor costs and lax health standards.

Usually one dies from the flu via secondary infections, notably pneumonia. This is why the seasonal flu causes 36,000 deaths a year (mostly elderly people, babies, and those with compromised immune systems). However, H1N1 viruses, such as the one that caused the 1918 pandemic, tend to cause massive immune responses. Young, healthy people have very strong immune systems which can mount such a powerful attack against the virus that the lungs end up becoming collateral damage. In this case people end up essentially being drowned by their own immune systems (see "cytokine storm"). In the 1918 pandemic, the death rates for people 20-24 and 25-30, respectively, exceeded the mortality rates for the rest of the population combined.

I have read you die from the swine flu by suffocation. Your lungs fill with fluid.

Cantstandya... You are correct, When someone has the flu, they can become quickly dehydrated, causing secretions to thicken to which the person cannot clear, and becoming what we call in medical septic (rampant infection). When a person is septic think of your body as a damn and your veins are the rivers. The damn gives out flooding the veins the over flow goes into the tissue ie third spacing. This can happen in a matter of minutes, hours or days. If the person gets to the hospital in time they are started on massive antibiotics, vasopressors (bring the water back into the river and up to the damn)and this raises the blood pressure. To clear secretions the person would need to be intubated (breathing on a machine) requiring the person to be in the intensive care unit. I hope this helps you . It can be a very quick spiral downwards especially if the person has a preexisting medical condition.

Do not get this vaccine. Read up on it and protect yourself.

It's only going to get worse. I take the T to work and it is packed now. Wait until the winter.

Seriously, if they can't give specific information why bother letting people know. The information reported isn't helping anyone help protect themselves.

People with this flu most likely die from pneumonia and respiratory failure; some patients die of heart failure as a result of circulatory collapse.

Pneumonia. Not much can be done if you have fluid in your lungs so completely that there's no air getting in. Also, secondary bacterial infection may occur, if your immune system is way overtaxed which it is, with this virus. That's an understatement, Stav.

This is very scary. This flu, like some other virulent strains before it, greatly targets young, healthy people. I have a son leaving for college and I am very concerned, I'm going to call my doctor. I am hoping that colleges and universities are making some preparations.

Has there been a thorough autopsy? Toxicology? Cengenital frailties? This report is a bit too simplistic and sadly lacking in facts.

You lungs fill up with fluid and you drown.

Is this an appropriate use of the word 'novel'? I know it's technically correct, that 'novel' just means 'new', but the word has underlying connotations and associations of a more light-hearted or positive nature. You can have a novel idea, a novel outfit, a novel dessert composed of pasta and bananas, but somehow it doesn't sound right to describe a fatal illness as a 'novel virus'.

Flu (true respiratory influenza, not to be confused with the stomach bug many refer to as "a flu") , swine flu or otherwise, usually kills by pneumonia like problems... The regular seasonal flu also takes down some apparently normal, healthy people every year.

The H1N1 virus is more invasive to the entire respiratory system causing a larger area of reaction and impeding the respiratory system more than the normal strains of flu. Some question of histamine cascade involvement. Question use of antihistamics in treatment. Also nausea more pronounced leading to dehydration.

Was this person a 'citizen' of Dukes county? I'm just asking since only those with precarious health histories have died so far and this one didn't seem to have a history.... in this country... I meant county.

Good question, cantstandya--can an MD explain how in the world a virus that almost everybody fights off can be lethal to a person without underlying problems to make them vulnerable?

cytokine storm
Immune system overreacts (that's why young adults are at risk; their immune systems are at warp speed) and lungs fill with fluid.

Yeah, um...more people die from the regular flu every year than this bug will ever get. I call it the "chicken little" flu.

canstandya,

What I have read is that the flu virus gets deeper into the lung tissue than the traditional flu strains. This can cause a hard to treat pneumonia to set in, and that is what could cause the deaths.

Read the Great Influenza by John Barry about the 1918 flu pandemic and you will have a thorough understanding of what is going on and why people are so nervous. To put it in perspective...it is estimated that 45,000 people in MA died from that pandemic. Our medicine is better today but we only have so many hospital beds. My heart goes out to this family. Very tragic.

I am glad that is one person per week, not 10 per week.

What's really scary is " no history of underlying medical problems " ... usually, they die because of underlying problems

With all due respect to the deceased and his family - I know this is nit-picking, but damn it, the Globe is a NEWSpaper. Dukes County is made up of Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. The Cape is Barnstable County. There is no part of Cape Cod in Dukes County, therefore the Cape and islands description is wrong. If a nitwit like me knows this, shouldn't someone at the Globe? Who, what, when, WHERE, and why.

Sorry, just back from vacation and not happy about it.

cytokine storm, a consequence of over reaction by a healthy person's immune system

seems to me people spend so much time on cleaning, disinfecting, getting flu shots, getting antibiotics, conditioning spaces etc. that no-one is allowing themselves to build up any immunities to anything! get some fresh air, get dirty, get a cold, eat some peanuts! the more we shelter ourselves from disease the more it seems to mutate and hurt us more! get rid of the filters people! I live in a drafty house I work on old houses and breathe in dust and dirt and other assorted nastiness I work outside and breathe in pollen etc. I have not had a flu shot ever! been a year since my last cold and was over it in days, have not had the flu in years... I'll stick with my methods thanks...

did he/she die from the flu or complications from the vaccine

Rod Mac:
"flue" is something you line your chimney with LOL
gencon: i get a flu shot annually and it works. It's been years since
I had the flu...can't remember the last time I even had a cold.
They say this swine flu affects the young the most, which says something about past immunity build-ups for the rest of us.
This fall and winter could be very nasty, especially if this Mexican Flu mutates into something worse.

Greg (#12) I hadn't heard of a NAFTA /Mexico pig farming connection. I thought this flu had been around for years in pigs and birds and will continue to periodically reassert itself as a new strain now and then regardless of country or health standards. I'm curious though what source did you hear that from? thanks

Thank you to everyone posting a medical response. Greatly appreciated!

This should be called "The Media Scare Flu". It sells newspapers...and buys TV ads....with no disrespect to the families that have experienced its true harmful impact. Its diagnosis is real. The media's obsession is disgusting.

Thanks to the knowledgable people who responded with information and links to websites for further information.

the virus is changing I think, start checking flutrackers.com, a sentinel
physician and scientist site, they post anonomously. just 30 miles west of
me in Indiana we lost a brother and a sister within a few weeks of each other,
something is going on...look for sudden outbreaks at coastal cities if this thing
tracks like 1918....

jfs1043, Dave, Tufts MPH -- thank you for a better understanding - I hope you come back so I can get an answer to my next question - if one is in the midst of cytokine storm, are they aware?

gencon, having a flu shot IS building immunity.

I am a nurse with three kids in their twenties and I am very concerned for this age group. people, don't blame the press! get information, learn about the signs of pneumonia, and wash your hands! of course, if you'd rather just blame the press and wallow in your ignorance, you have lots of company. r.i.p.

pneumonia or other respiratory complications usually.

You can help your kids and yourself , by making them wash their hands and dont touch, nose , mouth or face while out in public. Good hygiene is the best defense. If your kids do start showing symthoms of a cold or flu watch them closely and make sure you take them to the dr. better to be safe then sorry later.

escaped bioweapon? i knew no good could come from digging up bodies of victims of the 1918 flu pandemic for "study". the drug companies are going to make billions off this.

halfaday, there is no flu vaccine on the market for this strain of the flu, so no this is not a death from the vaccine. In addition, deaths from the vaccine are INCREDIBLY rare.

Where can i get the flue shot? I live near Worcester, MA. I have MS and my immune system is compromised.