The newest tool for preventing heart attacks is … a flu shot. Between 10% and 20% of people catch the flu each year, and a bad case can be deadly for individuals with coronary heart disease. Yet only one in three adults with cardiovascular disease gets an annual flu shot. People with heart disease are not only at higher risk for the flu than the general population but also more likely to have a severe case and to develop complications, such as viral or bacterial pneumonia. What's more, the flu can worsen coronary heart disease and trigger a heart attack. No one knows for sure how the flu increases the risk of a heart attack. One possibility: Inflammation associated with the flu can trigger the rupture of unstable plaque, leading to the formation of a blood clot that could cause a heart attack.
The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a flu shot with the same enthusiasm as it does the control of cholesterol, blood pressure, and other modifiable risk factors for heart attacks. In a scientific advisory issued by the AHA and the American College of Cardiology heart doctors were asked to do something they may not normally do -- give their patients flu shots. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also recommends an annual flu shot for individuals age 50 and older as well as anyone with a chronic health problem such as heart disease or diabetes. Besides getting a flu shot, two other simple measures -- frequent hand washing and, if possible, avoiding close contact with a flu sufferer -- can help reduce the risk of catching the flu.
TTT because I'm tired of the negative posts!When my husband had his heart attack 8 years ago, his cardiologist stressed to both of us that he absolutely positively had to get a flu shot every year, and a pneumonia shot every 5 years. Either could kill him, since his heart sustained heavy damage and operates at less than half the output it should. The boys and I also get flu shots every year, both for our health and also to protect DH.
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