Scare Story: Flu Causes Heart Attacks But Vaccine Protects

Influenza can help trigger heart attacks and may account for a 35 percent to 50 percent rise in heart attack deaths during flu season, British researchers reported on Monday.
While a flu vaccine can prevent these deaths, fewer than half of the most vulnerable heart patients in Britain actually get a flu vaccine every year, however, they said.

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So less than 8 months into a 3 year study they have all the answers??


The role of influenza as a trigger for acute myocardial infarction: evidence from clinical, epidemiological and statistical studies - January 2009 - December 2011
Study team
Charlotte Warren-Gash - Research Fellow, UCL CIDE
Andrew Hayward - Senior Lecturer in Infectious Disease Epidemiology - UCL CIDE
Liam Smeeth, Department of Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Funder
Medical Research Council

Background
Influenza (flu) is one of many common viruses that cause respiratory symptoms. Some respiratory infections may trigger more serious conditions such as heart attacks We will study whether flu triggers heart attacks, if so how often this happens, and whether vaccinating people against influenza also protects them from heart attacks.
This will involve an analysis of medical records from a national general practice database and studying of recent influenza infection in patients hospitalised for heart attacks. One of the major anticipated benefits of this research is If flu does trigger heart attacks, some might be prevented either through vaccinating people against flu or by treating flu with antiviral drugs.

Aims
1. To investigate the role of influenza as a trigger for acute MI. 2. To determine the burden of MI attributable to influenza. 3. To examine whether influenza vaccination protects against MI. 4. To provide epidemiological, statistical and clinical research training relevant to the epidemiology, detection, impact and control of a specific communicable disease.

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