By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter

The influenza A (H1N1) virus is more threatening to lung disease patients because it is difficult to distinguish flu symptoms from their chronic illnesses, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said Sunday.

Its analysis of the 117 deaths here suspected to be linked to the H1N1 virus showed that of them, cancer patients represented the largest number at 30. Chronic lung disease patients suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, bronchiectasis and other ailments came next with 26 cases _ 34 when adding eight lung cancer victims. Diabetes and chronic heart disease patients followed with 24 and 14 cases, respectively.

"Since the patients already had respiratory problems, it was difficult to detect the flu symptoms as early as those in other cases,"the health authorities said.

The symptoms most frequently reported are excessive coughing, high fever and lethargy, the same as those respiratory or lung diseases.

Of the 117 fatal cases, the report showed that only about 54 percent of the chronic lung disease patients were prescribed with Tamiflu before being confirmed with H1N1, less than the 77percent rate of patients with other diseases.

bjs@koreatimes.co.kr