Seasonal influenza vaccination may reduce severity of acute decompensated heart failure: Study

A new study highlights the potential benefits of seasonal influenza and COVID-19 vaccinations on the severity and long-term outcomes of acute heart failure (AHF) patients. The findings were published in the European Journal of Heart Failure.

This research was conducted across 40 Spanish emergency departments and analyzed data from 4,243 AHF patients treated during November and December 2022. These patients were grouped based on their vaccination status as 43% received the influenza vaccine, 74% the COVID-19 vaccine, 41.8% were fully vaccinated (both vaccines), and 24.4% had received neither.

The study investigated whether these vaccinations influence heart failure decompensation severity and long-term survival rates. The patient outcomes were assessed using multiple metrics, including the MEESSI scale for heart failure severity, hospitalization, ICU admission, in-hospital mortality, and longer-term survival rates at 90 days and one year.

The patients vaccinated against influenza experienced significantly lower hospitalization rates (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 0.746) and reduced in-hospital mortality (OR: 0.761). Moreover, their 90-day and 1-year mortality rates decreased by 16.9% and 11.5%, respectively.

COVID-19 vaccination was linked to a slight increase in hospitalization rates (OR: 1.215) but showed a reduction in 90-day mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.829). However, the benefit did not extend to 1-year mortality rates which lead this study to call for further investigation.

The patients who received both vaccines experienced the most significant improvements across all outcomes. Full vaccination reduced in-hospital mortality by 36.2%, 90-day mortality by 29.8%, and 1-year mortality by 18.5%.

Subgroup analyses revealed that full vaccination consistently improved survival rates among patients with varying characteristics, such as age, comorbidities, and prior heart failure episodes.

Overall, seasonal influenza vaccination was associated with less severe AHF decompensation, fewer hospitalizations, and improved short- and long-term survival rates. While the benefits of COVID-19 vaccination remain less conclusive, full vaccination demonstrated the strongest overall mortality reduction. Further research is needed to clarify the specific role of COVID-19 vaccination in managing heart failure outcomes.

Source:

Miró, Ò., Ivars, N., Espinosa, B., Jacob, J., Alquézar‐Arbé, A., López‐Díez, M. P., Herrero Puente, P., López‐Grima, M. L., Rodríguez, B., Rodríguez Fuertes, P., Piñera Salmerón, P., Tost, J., Andueza, J. A., Domingo Baldrich, E., Garrido, J. M., Noceda, J., Lucas‐Imbernon, F. J., Moyano García, R., … Gil, V. (2024). Effect of seasonal influenza and COVID‐19 vaccination on severity and long‐term outcomes of patients with heart failure decompensations. In European Journal of Heart Failure. Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/ejhf.3469