Dr Ryan Zarychanski (and team) from the University of Manitoba analysed what made the difference when you get H1N1 flu (swine flu).

Nearly 800 cases of H1N1 in Manitoba revealed most patients (almost 3/4) were OK with treatment in the community, under a quarter had to be admitted to hospital, and just 6 in 100 needed intensive care.

What made the difference?

The report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal came up with 3 major factors.

“First Nations” peoples (for which we substitute ‘native’ or ‘indigenous’) were particularly hardly hit at 37%, well over their share of population.

“Underlying complications”, in other words people who already had a medical condition, also fared badly.

The really big factor seems to be the time between when symptoms start and when treatment begins. (So in the first 2 cases above, this would