GUANGZHOU: A middle school student's history of asthma might be one reason behind his critical condition after being infected by H1N1 flu, a local disease control expert said yesterday.

The 17-year-old flu patient in Guangzhou has been in a coma for more than a week after he developed a fever, with his temperature reaching 39.4 C last Wednesday, according to the provincial health department.

The patient, surnamed Qiu, is the first patient on the mainland to be in critical condition as a result of the flu, it said.