Flu Shots Significantly Cut Risk of Heart Attack Or Stroke For People Over 50, Says Study of 7 Million PatientsOne of the largest studies of its kind looked at data from more than seven million patients and found that a seasonal flu shot cut the risk of heart attacks by up to 85 percent, and halved the number of strokes.
The study of high-risk hospital patients also found that deaths from any cause (all-cause mortality) fell by almost three-quarters among patients over 50 who were vaccinated.
“The results we found are staggering,†said lead author Roshni Mandania, a medical candidate at Texas Tech University in Dallas. “It’s hard to ignore the positive effect the flu vaccine can have on serious cardiac complications.â€
“Some people don’t view flu vaccinations as necessary or important, and many may face barriers accessing health care, including receiving the flu vaccine.â€
Being immunized against flu helps prevent chest infections that weaken the immune system, but flu vaccination among high risk groups, such as nursing home residents, is extremely low.
Mandania’s team compared 168,325 participants who had been vaccinated, with the vast majority who did not between people over 50 who had heart complications.
Immunized over 50s were 85 and 28 percent less likely to suffer a cardiac arrest or heart attack—caused by electrical and circulatory problems in the organ, respectively............
https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/flu-shots-significantly-cut-risk-of-heart-attack-or-stroke-for-people-over-50/