Influenza in heart disease

Influenza in heart disease is very dangerous. It is important for people with a heart condition to know that the influenza season around the world peaks in January and lasts throughout the winter. With the same consistency, the risk of deteriorating health for people with cardiovascular diseases is increasing.

Read also: Heart Disease and Cold: Who's Who?

What patients with heart disease should know about the flu?

People who are at risk of cardiovascular disease should get a flu shot every fall. Why? Studies show that influenza epidemics are associated with increased mortality from heart disease and that the flu can actually cause heart attacks that lead to death.

If you have heart disease, flu vaccination can do more than just prevent the flu. In fact, vaccination can prevent a heart attack.

What should I know about the effect of influenza on the body? Influenza is a viral disease that causes symptoms such as fever, chills, cough, sore throat, headache, pain all over the body and in the muscles, overall discomfort. Doctors have long known about the connection between influenza and heart disease, which is also the cause of inflammation of the arteries. Patients with heart disease are particularly vulnerable to influenza, and the stress of infection in your cardiovascular system can further exacerbate heart problems.

The results of studies on the effect of influenza on heart function

In the latest 39 studies, UK scientists tested the relationship between influenza and a heart attack. Studies have consistently found that influenza acts like a trigger, that is, a trigger for a heart attack in people with heart disease. It turned out that up to half of unexpected deaths due to influenza were caused by heart and vascular diseases.

In two studies, scientists also checked whether a vaccine against influenza can prevent a heart attack. They suggest that an influenza vaccine can prevent a heart attack if you already have heart disease (it is not exactly known if it will help people who have not already had heart disease).

Atherosclerosis and influenza

The researchers believe that the flu causes acute and severe inflammation in the body that in some patients it can lead to destabilization of atherosclerotic plaques in the coronary arteries and causes heart attacks.

Most people in different countries live with different stages of atherosclerosis and do not even know about it, because these symptoms do not manifest themselves in any way. Nevertheless, in some patients the condition of atherosclerotic plaques undergoes sudden changes, mainly because of severe inflammation. This leads to the rupture of vulnerable plaques and the subsequent formation of clots as a result of a heart attack.

None of the scientific experiments specifically investigated the relationship between the H1N1 influenza strain ( swine flu ) that is currently circulating and heart disease. Although this form of influenza is no more dangerous than regular influenza for patients with heart disease, it can also cause a heart attack. However, since the outbreak of influenza, for all medical predictions, this year can be quite extensive, it is especially important for patients with heart disease to take all measures to protect themselves.

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How to protect your heart from the flu?

More recent scientific studies have shown that the use of antiviral drugs against influenza (for example, a new generation of oseltamivir) after influenza infection can further reduce the risk of stroke and heart attacks in patients who are predisposed to them. To do this, you need to consult a doctor within the first 48 hours after the onset of flu symptoms so that antiviral therapy is effective.

WHO recommends that all people with heart disease carry out annual vaccinations against influenza. An additional vaccine is designed specifically to prevent the swine flu virus H1N1. People who have a very high risk of complications of influenza should not avoid vaccination - it can save their lives. The groups most at risk of complications after the flu include people with these diseases:

• Ischemic disease or chest pain (angina pectoris)
• Heart failure
• Heart attack, stroke or those who undergo procedures for the treatment of heart disease
• Diseases of peripheral arteries
• Diabetes
• Pregnancy, especially in the second and third trimester

The most vulnerable people to infection, especially elderly patients, are most at risk of experiencing a heart attack after the flu. Meanwhile, in the US, only 1 out of 3 patients with heart disease makes regular vaccinations against influenza, and in Ukraine it is only one in a hundred thousand people.

Preventive measures against influenza

The vaccine begins to work intensely two weeks after vaccination, besides, there are many different strains of the disease. Therefore, every year the vaccine protects only from the most common types of influenza. Therefore, in addition to vaccinations, people with heart disease should continue to adhere to general security measures, including:

• Wash your hands (or use a hand sanitizer) before eating and before touching your eyes, mouth or nose
• Avoid close contact with sick people (even children)
• Sleep well, drink plenty of liquid and eat healthy food - it strengthens the immune system and prepares it to fight the flu
• Be physically active and learn how to deal with stress.

• If you need a serious reason to quit smoking, then know that smokers are 5 times more likely to get upper respiratory tract infections (including because of the flu), and cardiovascular diseases.

Influenza in heart disease is a very powerful and dangerous enemy, so it is better to avoid it than to fight it.