By analyzing the bones and skeletons of victims of the Spanish flu, also known as the 1918 flu, North American scientists have discovered clues that patients failed. The finding suggests that people with comorbidities, poor health, malnutrition or other illnesses are more likely to die from the disease, as has been observed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The study, led by researchers at the University of Colorado, analyzed about 400 bodies, including the remains of people who died from the Spanish flu in the United States. In addition, the investigation involves the analysis of people who died from other causes years ago or years later.
Or what is the Spanish Flu?
In human history, the Spanish Flu is considered one of the deadliest pandemics ever. The 1918 flu infected one-third of the world’s population in just two years and killed more than 25,000 people, noted the figures, which may vary depending on the source.
However, with many people dying, many assumptions were made during the pandemic, which means some assumptions (even if they are wrong) continue to this day. For example, there was the idea that everyone died equally from the Spanish Flu, whether healthy or already weakened by some other pre-existing disease.
However, a new investigation suggests that an individual’s health history, as measured by bones and two bones, could mean a higher or lower chance of death in all such cases. Obviously, inevitably, some young men and saudáveis also died, but the cliff was different.
Errors that everyone suffers from equally may be perpetuated by the lack of statistical tools at the time, as well as by anecdotes (“whys” and personal experiences with no scientific value).
What else do you have besides the Moller Cliffs?
To determine a person’s risk of dying from the Spanish flu, researchers will analyze the tibia, one of the main bones in the leg, looking for porous lesions. These are considered long-lasting indicators of trauma, infection, stress or malnutrition in the body.
Second study published in Science Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, people classified as more fragile based on skeletal characteristics were 2.7 times more likely to die during the 1918 influenza pandemic. In other words, the odds are almost three times that of the average person.
Impact of the epidemic
Previously, Sharon DeWitte, a professor at the University of Colorado and co-author of the study, studied ruins and cliffs associated with another epidemic disease, the Black Death. Researchers say patients and people with certain comorbidities are more likely to die when infected with the bacteria. Yersinia pestistransmitted all the time.
Recently, the Covid-19 pandemic has reinforced historical evidence that people with other health conditions are at increased risk of death when infected with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. So, here, it’s worth mentioning that a greater probability does not mean that only older individuals die.
“We understand that future epidemics will certainly lead to the emergence of variants in individuals at risk of mortality,” DeWitt said in a report. He added: “If we know the factors that contribute to this cliff, we will be able to devote resources to to reduce the number of deaths.” In the case of covid-19, people with comorbidities were considered priority for vaccination, which was still limited in number.
Source: PNAS and University of Colorado