天博体育

Ever since the winter of 2003, when my husband came down with nasty case of the flu that led to a three-week bout of walking pneumonia, he鈥檚 been religious about getting a flu shot each fall. But the benefits he gains may go beyond warding off respiratory-related problems.

A finds that getting the influenza vaccine lowers a person鈥檚 odds of a having heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or other major cardiac event鈥攊ncluding death鈥攂y about a third over the following year.

What鈥檚 the connection between flu and cardiovascular problems? 鈥淲hen you get the flu, your body mounts an impressive immune response, which causes a lot of inflammation. As a result, the plaque inside your blood vessels can become unstable, which can lead to blockage and a possible heart attack or stroke,鈥� says study leader Jacob Udell, MD, a cardiologist at Women鈥檚 College Hospital in Toronto and a clinician-scientist at the University of Toronto.

Changes in the lungs wrought by the flu virus can lower blood oxygen levels, which makes the heart work harder. The virus can also directly injure heart muscle cells, leading to heart failure or making it worse.

Udell and colleagues pooled data from six clinical trials involving more than 6,700 people. Their average age was 67. About one-third had heart disease; the rest did not. Overall, those who had been vaccinated against the flu had a 36% lower risk of a having major cardiac event during the following year. And for those who had recently had a heart attack, a flu shot cut the risk of heart attack or stroke even further.

Dr. Udell cautions that the safety and effectiveness of an influenza vaccine to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke still needs to be confirmed with a large clinic trial, which he鈥檚 currently planning. If the findings hold true, 鈥渨e may be able to tell patients that by getting your flu shot, it might save your life鈥攚hat a simple and significant way to reduce deaths and the burden on our healthcare system,鈥� says Dr. Udell.

for everyone six months of age and older. It is especially important for those who face the highest risk of complications: young children; adults over age 50; those of all ages with serious health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, asthma or other lung disease, liver or kidney disease, or diabetes; and those who care for young children or other individuals at high risk of flu complications.

Yet more than half of people younger than 65 with serious health conditions skip an annual flu shot, as do about a third of all people older than 65.

Compared to other heart-healthy habits like exercise and healthy eating, getting a yearly flu shot is pretty low effort. Even if you鈥檙e young and at low risk of heart disease, why not do what you can to avoid the aches, fever, and fatigue of the flu?

In addition to protecting yourself from an infectious disease, immunization also helps protect those who aren鈥檛 through what is known as herd immunity. The more people who are immunized, the fewer who will be carrying the infectious agent, and the smaller the odds that someone who isn鈥檛 immunized or resistant will come into contact with it. Check out this video of how herd immunity works.

My husband is fortunate: His workplace offers free, on-site flu shots. I鈥檒l be taking my daughter to her pediatrician next week for a dose of the nasal spray version of the vaccine鈥攁 good option for the needle-phobic, but only if you鈥檙e under 50, as some research suggests it鈥檚 less effective in older people than the shot. As for me, I鈥檒l be rolling up my sleeve at my local CVS. To find out where you can get a flu shot, see this .

If you haven鈥檛 gotten yours yet, do it soon: Outbreaks have happened as early as October in some years, although the season typically peaks in January or later.