It’s even more important to get your flu shot if you have a Heart Condition
Nashville, TN – You know that miserable, no-good feeling that starts as a simple headache and escalates to a high fever, chills and an overall sense of yuck?
Each year in the United States an estimated 5-20 percent of the population can be infected with the flu, and more than 200,000 people may be hospitalized during the flu season.
While the flu can make anyone sick, certain people are at greater risk for serious complications from the flu, that can cause hospitalization or even death, including:
- Adults 65 years of age and older;
- Children younger than 5, but especially younger than two years old;
- People with chronic lung disease (such as asthma and COPD), diabetes (type 1 and 2), heart disease, neurologic conditions, and certain other long-term medical conditions, even if these are well managed;
- Those who are morbidly obese (BMI of 40 or greater);
- Pregnant women and women within the first two weeks after delivery (two weeks post-partum).
In terms of heart disease, people who received the flu shot are about 36 percent less likely to experience heart disease, stroke, heart failure or death from cardiac-related causes, and about 55 percent less likely to suffer a cardiac event if they had recently experienced a heart attack or stroke.
The influenza vaccination is so important it is considered a secondary prevention for cardiovascular disease and is recommended by both the AHA and the American College of Cardiology (ACC) for all heart disease patients.
National Influenza Vaccination Week is December 8th-14th, 2013. The flu season usually peaks in the U.S. in January or February.
Vaccines are available in a variety of locations, for example, from your doctor or local health department, and at many pharmacies. Many employers, schools, and retail stores also offer flu vaccines.
Visit the vaccine finder at http://vaccine.healthmap.org/ or call 1.800.CDC.INFO (800.232.4636).
