Clinical Tip No. 13: Obesity and Influenza

🛑 THE PROBLEM
The fact that obesity is a significant risk factor for severe influenza-related complications is often ignored or overlooked.

📚 THE BACKGROUND
Whether due to misplaced political correctness, fear of offending, or simple lack of awareness, this risk is not discussed often enough.

Yet the evidence is clear.
Obesity increases the risk of influenza complications, including:
• Pneumonia
• Respiratory failure
• Death

Clinicians who manage patients with pneumonia see this in practice all the time.
Additionally, patients with obesity often have undiagnosed or poorly controlled comorbidities, such as diabetes and hypertension, which further increase their risk of poor outcomes.

✅ THE MESSAGE
If your patient is obese, remind them about influenza vaccination well before flu season, even if they are younger than 65 and have no known chronic illness.

If they already have influenza, start antiviral treatment promptly to reduce the risk of complications.
Refer to Clinical Tip No. 12 for more on antiviral timing and indications.