Flu vaccine cuts heart attack risk

[Greg Bernhardt]

New study out
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/10/22/flu-vaccine-heart-attack/3150819/

 

[Ygggdrasil]

Link to the original study (freely available) in the Journal of the American Medical Association:

http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=1758749

 

[lisab]

From Ygggdrasil's link (bolding mine):

In a meta-analysis of RCTs, the use of influenza vaccine was associated with a lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events. The greatest treatment effect was seen among the highest-risk patients with more active coronary disease. A large, adequately powered, multicenter trial is warranted to address these findings and assess individual cardiovascular end points.

(RCT = randomized controlled trial)

Could this just be the effect of any moderate to severe illness on people who are already at risk?

 

[SW VandeCarr]

.....................

Could this just be the effect of any moderate to severe illness on people who are already at risk?

Yes. Almost any stressor has the potential to worsen existing cardiovascular disease (CVD). This includes both acute and chronic infections. It's not surprising that the risk of a cardiac event is increased in CVD patients with acute viral infections such as with varieties of the influenza virus. Links with other more chronic infections have been established such as with infections of chlamydial pneumonia (CP), chronic H pylori and chronic periodontitis. Nevertheless, it's always useful to measure the risk of specific common stressors, especially when they are well defined and an effective preventive is available.

http://www.publishing.waldenu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1029&context=jsbhs

(see journal p 50)

 

[sozme]

All kinds of infections have strange long-term negative sequela, some we know but much of which we are only starting to understand. I have heard a similar report re: left heart failure and correlation to flu prophylaxis but I can't remember what the journal was... I heard it on PusCast.