Flu Shot Also May Prevent Heart Attacks

According to two recent studies, the flu vaccine may cut the risk of a heart attack or stroke by up to 50 percent. Scientists from the TIMU Study Group and Network for Innovation in Clinical Research analyzed published clinical trials involving 3,227 patients, half of whom had been diagnosed with heart disease. Participants, whose average age was 60, were randomly assigned to either receive the flu vaccine or a placebo shot, after which their health was tracked for 12 months. Those who received the flu shot were 50 percent less likely to suffer major cardiac events (such as heart attacks or strokes) and 40 percent less likely to die of cardiac causes. Similar trends were found in patients with and without previous heart disease.

Several studies have shown a link between heart attacks and a prior respiratory infection. One study conducted in 2010 of 78,000 patients aged 40 and older found that those who had gotten a flu shot in the previous year were 20 percent less likely to suffer a first heart attack, even when such cardiovascular risks as smoking, high cholesterol, hypertension and diabetes were taken into account. Because up to 91,000 Americans die from heart attacks and strokes triggered by the flu each year, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology issued guidelines recommending vaccination for patients with cardiovascular disease. Unfortunately, fewer than half of Americans with high-risk conditions such as heart disease get a flu shot. (See also The Heart of the Matter: A Flu Shot Could Save Your Life)