Adults need shots, too: Find out which vaccines are important for heart health
Written By : Dr. Kamal Kant Kohli
Published On 2022-10-19 14:30 GMT | Update On 2024-02-15 02:54 GMT
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While most parents are good at keeping track of vaccines kids need to stay healthy, many people don't realize there are immunizations important to keeping adults heart-healthy, as well. The American Heart Association urges all adults, especially those already with a history of heart disease or stroke, to take a look at their immunization status, and stay up-to-date on preventive vaccines, particularly for flu and COVID-19.
- Influenza/Flu-Flu season begins in early fall and extends into early spring. Many people may experience just a few days of aches and chills, but the flu can be deadly for some, including the very young, people who are older and those with chronic health conditions like heart disease, stroke and diabetes. There has been some research linking flu infection to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Getting a flu shot can not only prevent the flu, it may also reduce the risk of have a heart attack or stroke.
- A study published earlier this year in the American Heart Association journal, Stroke, found that, among a group of people hospitalized for various reasons, those who experienced a flu-like illness within a month of their hospitalization were 38% more likely to have a stroke, compared to those who didn't have a similar illness. Receiving a flu vaccine within the year prior to hospitalization lowered a person's stroke risk to 11%.
- People over the age of 50 who were hospitalized and those in nursing homes who were at high risk for influenza had lower rates of death, heart attack, mini-stroke and cardiac arrest if they were vaccinated against flu, according to a study presented at the American Heart Association's Basic Cardiovascular Sciences 2020 meeting.
- And a study published in the American Heart Association's flagship journal, Circulation, found that people living with heart failure who got an annual flu shot had an 18% lower chance of dying from CVD or any other cause, compared to those who did not get a flu shot.
- A study published earlier this year in the American Heart Association journal, Stroke, found that, among a group of people hospitalized for various reasons, those who experienced a flu-like illness within a month of their hospitalization were 38% more likely to have a stroke, compared to those who didn't have a similar illness. Receiving a flu vaccine within the year prior to hospitalization lowered a person's stroke risk to 11%.
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