Research published in the “New England Journal of Medicine” shows clear link between flu and heart attack
The flu is also associated with heart attacks.
Research has shown that people sick with the flu are six times more likely to have a heart attack in the first week of the illness. This risk is especially increased in adults, the authors of the research published in the “New England Journal of Medicine” point out.
This research confirms the previous ones showing the connection between flu, heart attack and increased mortality. “These results are important because they confirm the existence of a link between influenza and myocardial infarction and reinforce the importance of influenza vaccination,” said Jeff Kwon of the Institute of Chemical Sciences and Public Health in Ontario, Canada.
The study is based on nearly 20,000 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza between 2009 and 2014. Among them, 332 were hospitalized with heart attacks that year.
The risk is higher during the first seven days after infection, especially if it is for elderly people infected with the influenza type B virus, as well as those who have not had a heart attack. Respiratory infections also increase the risk of heart attack, but not to the same extent as the flu.
