People with Heart Disease or Stroke Have Higher Risk of Complications from Flu
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People with Heart Disease or Stroke Have Higher Risk of Complications from Flu
People with heart disease and those who have had a stroke are at higher risk for developing serious complications from flu. If you have heart disease, or have had a stroke, it is especially important that you get a flu vaccine every flu season to protect against flu and its potentially serious complications.
Among adults hospitalized with flu during recent flu seasons, heart disease was one of the most commonly-occurring chronic conditions—about half of adults hospitalized with flu that season had heart disease. Studies have shown that flu illness is associated with an increase of heart attacks and stroke. A 2018 study found that the risk of heart attack was 6 times higher within a week of confirmed flu infection. These findings were most pronounced for older adults and those experiencing their first heart attack. Additionally, a 2020 study that looked at more than 80,000 U.S. adults hospitalized with flu over eight flu seasons (2010-11 through 2017-18) found that sudden, serious heart complications were common and occurred in one out of every eight patients (~12% of patients).
You can read more at https://www.cdc.gov/flu/highrisk/heartdisease.htm
