FLU SHOTS MAY REDUCE INFLUENZA AND HEART ATTACKS

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According to a new study published in the canadian medical association journal ,yearly flu shots may do more than stave off the seasonal flu — they may also prevent heart attacks. And the earlier you get the flu shot, the greater this protection, the study shows.

“The risk of heart attack is highest during winter months, just like the flu, suggesting a link between the two conditions. Exactly how the flu shot may protect against first heart attack is not clear, but infection could somehow trigger plaque rupture in the arteries, resulting in a heart attack or stroke, the researchers suggest.

The new study included  more than 74000 patients.. Those who got their flu shot(Inj Influgen) during the past year had a 19% reduced risk for heart attack, compared with their counterparts who did not get a flu shot that year.

The earlier in the flu season that participants got the flu shot, the lower their risk for first heart attack, the study showed. By contrast, the pneumonia vaccine(pneumovax) did not provide protection against heart attack.

 

In my personal experience I have noticed that when ever there is a weather change there is a sudden increase in the number of cases of  common cold as well as exacaebations of COPD.The number of heart attack admissions also increase during this time.

If you have plaque that builds up in your artery walls and you get a viral infection, you do tend to have more inflammation, and when a plaque becomes inflamed, it’s more likely to rupture and cause a heart attack.

CDC Calls for Universal Flu Vaccines

“The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the USA recommends universal flu vaccination [for all people 6 months of age and older], While the study showed the earlier the better, it is never too late to get the flu shots.

With more and more people losing workdays to viral fever, a 20-30 per cent rise in cases across the city,flu shots may be  an answer to the problem. The vaccine works especially for those with lower immunity.

“Flu shots are highly recommended in children between 6 months to 24 months and pregnant women.

What are flu shots?

The influenza vaccine (Inj Influgen) has been in India for more than five years, however, very few have heard of it, unlike in the US where kids and adults are regularly inoculated.

It works like any other vaccine, containing strains of dead influenza viruses that build the body’s immunity. It costs between Rs 500-600 for a shot in the arm and needs to be taken once a year at the start of the winter season.

However, the flu shots are not recommended for everyone, especially for those who are severely allergic to eggs and egg products as flu shots are grown inside eggs. Infants less than six-months old must not be given flu shots. People with running fever  and current infection must also avoid it.

Health experts point out that each person who is vaccinated, reduces the expected number of other people who could get infected.

DR.SAJY KURUTTUKULAM