34 Community Columns
Ponte Vedra Recorder · October 15, 2015
Heart disease and the flu: a two-way street
This year’s flu shot recently hit the
shelves, sending millions of families
to their local pharmacies or doctors to
receive the vaccinations. While the flu
shot does not guarantee a person will
avoid the flu, it’s important for certain
high-risk populations to be proactive
and receive the
shot each year
— this includes
pregnant women,
seniors and people
who suffer from
heart disease.
About 85.6 million Americans are
living with some
form of cardiovasAnthony Magnano
Heart of the Matter
cular disease or
the after-effects of
stroke, many of them unaware of the
increased risk the flu poses to their
health. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
50 percent of adults hospitalized with
the flu during the 2014-2015 influenza
season suffered from heart disease.
Link between flu and heart disease
The link between influenza and
heart disease is a two-way street. Heart
disease has the potential to make your
For more, visit:
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/heartdisease/
http://www.flu.gov/at-risk/health-conditions/heart-disease/
http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/
Conditions/More/MyHeartandStrokeNews/Flu-and-Pneumonia-Prevention_
UCM_445089_Article.jsp
http://www.flu.gov/symptoms-treatment/
symptoms/
http://www.prevention.com/health/healthconcerns/flu-season-and-heart-health
http://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/qa/vaccineeffect.htm
body too weak to fight off the flu,
while the flu can also worsen your
heart disease.
The flu virus triggers an inflammatory response in your body, increasing blood flow to fight infection and
delivering cells to combat the virus.
This response causes blood vessels
to expand and contract as your body
naturally fights off the virus, but it can
also cause otherwise stable plaque in
the walls of the arteries to rupture due
to the increased inflammatory activity –
resulting in a blood clot or heart attack.
Complications of flu in heart patients
The risk of developing heart-
related complications from the flu
is amplified if a person suffers from
existing heart disease. Researchers at
the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston found that
the risk of dying from a heart attack
increases by one-third during outbreaks of the flu and related respiratory diseases. These researchers also
estimated that 90,000 coronary deaths
could be prevented per year in the
U.S. if more heart patients simply
received a flu shot.
According to the American Heart
Association, pneumonia is also a
major flu complication facing patients with heart disease. Pneumonia
is a serious bacterial lung infection
that prevents your lungs from getting enough oxygen into the blood,
creating a strain on the heart.
Preventative steps
While these complications are very
serious, you can take preventative
measures to guard yourself from the
flu.
The first I’ve already touched on
— getting the flu shot every year.
Even if you aren’t in a high-risk
population, if one of your loved
ones is, consider getting vaccinated
so that you don’t inadvertently pass
the virus to them. The CDC also recommends that heart disease patients
receive a pneumonia vaccine, which
can be administered at the same
time as the flu shot.
Other precautions you should take
to prevent infection include covering
your nose and mouth with a tissue
when coughing or sneezing, washing your hands often, and avoiding
touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Heart patients and other high-risk
populations should never hesitate to
call their doctors if they find themselves experiencing flu-like symptoms. If caught in time, your doctor
may be able to prescribe antiviral
drugs, such as Tamiflu, which can
prevent serious complications.
As we approach these peak flu
months, I encourage you to take
these preventative steps yourself and
discuss them with any loved ones
who suffer from heart disease. The
flu can be awful, but not inevitable.
Dr. Anthony Magnano is a Ponte Vedra
resident and cardiac electrophysiologist at
St. Vincent’s Medical Center Riverside. For
more information on Dr. Magnano and his
specialty treating Atrial fibrillation, visit
AfibJax.com.
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