How genetics may play a role in how the flu affects us.

Almost everyone gets the flu at some point. For some, it may not last too long. For others, it may last a few weeks. For a few people, the flu may lead to a trip to the hospital. Scientists think that genetics may play a role in how bad we feel when we get the flu. A group in Wisconsin studied people hospitalized for the flu. They looked for gene changes linked to the flu. They found about 25. Two stood out. They asked researchers at Vanderbilt to double check their results for these two changes. So, the researchers will use BioVU to check their results. They will look for a link between the two gene changes and people in the hospital who had the flu. They will compare gene changes in people who did and did not have the flu. The results may help us learn who may be at risk for a really bad case of the flu. They may also help us do a better job preventing flu for people at risk. We may also learn new ways to treat the flu.