People with heart disease should be given a flu vaccine each year to protect them from potentially fatal complications that arise from influenza infection.
A mere 34% of heart disease patients got immunized in 2005, according to a 2006 study. [32] However, estimates show influenza vaccination can reduce coronary mortality and stroke by 50%, saving up to 91,000 lives per year. [29] What’s more, additional studies indicate that getting a flu vaccination reduces an at-risk person’s risk of suffering a stroke. [30]
The mechanism by which influenza infection may cause exacerbation of cardiovascular disease is not well characterized, but an autoimmune reaction which produces vascular injury has been proposed as the inciting event. This autoimmune reaction may be caused by the inflammatory response to influenza infection facilitating the production of autoantibodies to modified low-density lipoproteins, by direct colonization of the vessel wall by the virus, or by structural similarity between viral antigens and self-antigens. [36]
Remember to recommend influenza vaccination for your patients with cardiovascular diseases. And remember to get vaccinated yourself so you don’t spread the virus to others—especially those at risk of heart attack or stroke.
