The flu shot reduces the risk of heart attack!

Researchers at the University of Toronto have published this year an innovative study linking heart attacks with influenza.

The study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted by Dr. Jeffrey Kwong and his colleagues, about 20,000 people having been confirmed to have the flu virus.

The team found that the risk of heart attack increased by 600% in one week of influenza infection, with the risk of respiratory infections also increasing.

The researchers said their discovery of the high risk of heart attack-related influenza poses a new challenge for them and healthcare professionals to patients with heart disease.

The researchers noted that there is a simple solution can protect the heart, which is the flu vaccine, that will provide the vaccine "a dose of heart protection".

In the same vein, researchers from the National Institute of Infectious Diseases and Examinations of Diseases in Taiwan conducted a medical examination of 80,000 elderly patients over a 13-year period. The study found that annual influenza vaccination reduced the risk of heart attack by 20% and provided similar protection against stroke.

The influenza vaccine not only reduces the risk of heart attack, but also protects patients already suffering from heart disease, according to a study from the George Institute of World Health at Oxford University examining the Medical records of 59,000 patients with heart failure.

The researchers found that flu vaccinated patients were 27% less likely to suffer from heart failure complications.

Unlike most vaccines targeting one type of infection, there are many strains or types of flu. Every year, scientists predict a more common type and recommend annual vaccination against that specific strain.

Uncertainty about the flu type of flu means that the vaccine is not always very effective. On average, the effectiveness of the annual influenza vaccine is between 50% and 70%.

Interestingly, while influenza vaccines are not 100% effective against the virus, they still offer protection against heart disease.

Misleading media information about the flu vaccine is pushing more and more people to avoid the vaccine and question its effectiveness and health value, say Kwong and his colleagues.

As this is the flu season, it is helpful to get vaccinated for the maintenance of public health and heart health, according to Dr. Kwong.

Source: Daily Mail