People who get the flu may face a six-fold higher risk of heart attack in the week following infection, said a study Wednesday that bolsters the need for widespread vaccinations against the flu. The risk of heart attack — or myocardial infarction — is particularly acute in older adults, said the report in the New England of Medicine. Of those, 332 patients were hospitalized for a heart attack within one year of their flu infection. The risk appeared highest in the first week, particularly for older people, those with influenza B infections, and patients experiencing their first heart attack. Other respiratory viruses were also seen to raise the risk of heart attack, though not as much as the flu.

Source: Punch January 25, 2018 02:37 UTC