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Influenza Vaccination for Patients With Cardiovascular Risk: Benefit or Harm?
The body’s immune system helps protect against pathogens that cause infection. However, some pathogens overwhelm the immune system. When this happens, it can cause serious illness, especially in patients who are immunocompromised, such as those at high risk for cardiovascular events.1-2 Vaccinations remain an important form of primary and secondary prevention.
A vaccination teaches the body to recognize new diseases. It stimulates the body to make antibodies against antigens or pathogens. It also primes immune cells to remember the types of antigens that cause infection. That allows for a faster response to disease in the future.
Vaccines are considered to be safe. Studies have suggested that influenza vaccination may be helpful in high-risk cardiovascular disease.3
In a recent meta-analysis, authors evaluated 6 clinical trials published from 2000 to 2010 which randomized participants to receive either the influenza vaccine or placebo/control.4 A total of 9001 patients of mean age 65.5 years were included, of which 42.5% were women, and 52.3% had a cardiac history. Compared to placebo, the influenza vaccine was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events (3.6% vs 5.4%; RR, .66; 95% CI, .53-.83; P<.001). Treatment reduced cardiovascular mortality in patients with and without a recent acute coronary syndrome.
In patients at risk of cardiovascular events, influenza vaccine remains a proven therapy and should be recommended.
References:
- Sandoval C, Walter SD, Krueger P, et al. Risk of hospitalization during influenza season among a cohort of patients with congestive heart failure. Epidemiol Infect. 2007;135(4):574-582. doi:10.1017/S095026880600714X
- Uchmanowicz I, Łoboz-Rudnicka M, Szeląg P, Jankowska-Polańska B, Łoboz-Grudzień K. Frailty in heart failure. Curr Heart Fail Rep. 2014;11(3):266-273. doi:10.1007/s11897-014-0198-4
- Udell JA, Zawi R, Bhatt DL, et al. Association between influenza vaccination and cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2013;310(16):1711-1720. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.279206
- Behrouzi B, Bhatt DL, Cannon CP, et al. Association of influenza vaccination with cardiovascular risk: A meta-analysis. JAMA Netw Open. 2022;5(4):e228873. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2022.8873
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