The flu vaccine reduces the risk of heart disease

One more reason you should get a flu shot every year is that the vaccine can reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and death from cardiovascular diseases.

According to a reporter in Canada, scientists from the country have found that in addition to flu prevention, the vaccine also has the ability to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease within 50% within one year after vaccination, including Both people with or without coronary artery disease.

Speaking at the 2012 Canadian Heart Conference, held in the city of Toronto, on October 29, Dr. Jacob Udell, a University of Toronto clinical cardiologist, explained that flu infection could affect to oxygen flow through the blood to the heart.

People who are vaccinated against influenza can prevent atherosclerotic plaque from breaking inside the coronary arteries, preventing blood supply to the heart, leading to a heart attack. Influenza vaccination not only protects against the flu itself, but also protects the patient from all the harms associated with flu infection, including swelling and atherosclerosis in the arteries. broken.

The finding not only supports the recommendation of annual flu vaccinations for heart disease patients but can also be a potential treatment to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke with just one shot. annual. This finding is highly influential because according to the Canadian Heart and Stroke Foundation, there are about 70,000 heart attacks each year. Meanwhile, every year only 2,000-8,000 Canadians die from influenza or complications of the flu.

In a related study, a group of other Canadian scientists found that patients who received implantable cardioverter defibrillators were less likely to have a stroke during the flu season if they were vaccinated against the flu. This finding may help increase the proportion of people who get the flu shot every year. According to the latest data, only 36% of Canadians go to the flu vaccine in 2011.