Flu Vaccine may offer Additional Benefits

With flu season fast approaching, doctors recommend that people get a flu shot.  Past studies suggest that the vaccine may protect heart patients from heart attack, stroke and even dying from heart disease. New research reviewed what happens to patients with heart disease who receive the flu vaccine compared to placebo or standard care.  “I encourage anybody who’s skeptical about getting the flu vaccine for any reason that there is potential other benefit here from a cardiac point of view.” Dr. Jacob Udell and co-authors were able to analyze data from just over 6,700 patients who were on average, in their mid 60’s and a little more than half were women.  “There was a 33% less chance of getting cardiac events if you’d gotten the flu shot compared to receiving either a placebo shot or just the standard of care. In those folks who had a recent heart attack within the last year there was an even better benefit within a 50% risk reduction in those events.” The study appears in the Journal of the American Medical Association.