The flu shot may prevent heart attack

Getting a flu shot early in the season may decrease your heart attack risk by as much as 21% especially if you are an adult over 40 years old.

This is according to researchers from the University of Lincoln, England published in the CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). Evidence suggests that the benefits are greater if you get the vaccine as early as possible in the fall between September and November.

The link may actually be found in the relationship of respiratory infections and heart attacks. In the winter when flu and pneumonia are on the rampage, incidence of both myocardial infarction and fatal pneumonia increase. Pneumonia vaccine itself and the timing of the pneumonia vaccine appear to have no relationship to the incidence of heart attack.

The authors of the report, Dr. Niroshan Siriwardena, University of Lincoln, UK, with Stella Gwini and Carol Coupland, stated, “Influenza vaccination but not pneumococcal vaccination is associated with a reduced rate of first acute myocardial infarction. This association and the potential benefit of early seasonal vaccination need to be considered in future experimental studies.”

The researchers looked at 78,706 adults aged 40 and over. Those vaccinated in early fall (September to mid November) had a 21% reduction in heart attack risk. People receiving the vaccination later then mid November had a 12% reduction in risk.

The authors pointed to the increased benefit of vaccination, “Our findings reinforce current recommendations for annual influenza vaccination of target groups, with a potential added benefit for prevention of acute myocardial infarction in those without established cardiovascular disease. This benefit may lead to an increase in suboptimal rates of vaccination, particularly among younger patients.”

Source: CMAJ, Medical News Today