You’ve probably already heard that a flu shot is one of the best ways to stay flu-free during the fall and winter.
But did you know that there are a few other conditions that the flu shot may help protect you from as well?
Strokes & Heart Attacks
New suggests the influenza vaccine can prevent strokes and heart attacks in people with or without heart disease.
The flu vaccine lowered risk of major cardiac events (like heart attacks, strokes, or cardiac deaths) by 50 percent compared to a placebo after a one-year period, found a review of published clinical trials dating as far back as the 1960s. Lead study author Jacob Udell, MD, a cardiologist at Women’s College Hospital and the University of Toronto, and his team, also noted a similar lower risk for all-cause death, by about 40 percent.
While Dr. Udell thinks a larger study could further demonstrate the flu shot’s benefits for heart health, according to a release from the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, he said the results support current recommendations for influenza vaccination of people who have had heart attacks.
How does these additional protections work? The flu is a systemic illness, not just affecting the lungs, but a number of other organs as well. Experts suspect thaty by suspects the influenza vaccine, by preventing the flu, prevent these other associated adverse events.
Why You Need To Be Vaccinated
African Americans are well-recognized as a particular group that doesn’t tend to get flu shots as often as they should. But this same group has high risks of heart disease and stroke. Talk to a physician or pharmacist about your flu shot questions, and make sure you keep your body healthy and protected during flu season.
In addition to the flu shot, doctors also recommend that people at risk of heart disease and stroke get the pneumococcal vaccine to prevent pneumonia, a flu complication.
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