December 11th, 2009

Philadelphia Inq reports:

Laura Brewster, healthy and fit at 56, ran, swam, and played tennis. Two weeks ago, she returned to Glenside from a dream vacation in China. Less than a week later, she was dead of swine flu.

Kevin Hirsch, 26, almost never missed a day of work at a McDonald’s restaurant in Northeast Philadelphia. “He didn’t have a runny nose, a cold, or a fever in 15 years,” said his father, Mickey, who disconnected his son’s life support on Nov. 18 after nearly 15 agonizing days in the ICU.

For months, public health authorities have emphasized the dangers of swine flu for people with specific medical conditions. Such patients account for between 60 and 80 percent of hospitalizations and deaths.

But 20 to 40 percent do not fit that profile. Some may have gotten medical care too late. Some may have had underlying conditions not known to them or their doctors or factors, such as a genetic predisposition, that science has yet to discover. Others may simply have lost out in the roll of the dice, such as the nonsmoker who dies of lung cancer.

Click here to read full article