/ by Susan Smyth, MD, PhD, FACC
Written by Dr. Susan Smyth, the medical director of the UK Gill Heart & Vascular Institute.
Flu season is here, which means it’s time to get your flu shot.
It’s common knowledge that the flu vaccine prevents the misery of influenza and helps protect vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, young children and the chronically ill.
But did you know that getting a flu shot might also prevent a heart attack or stroke?
The flu can be dangerous, even deadly
Influenza, or the flu, is a highly contagious respiratory viral infection easily spread from person to person when people with the flu cough, sneeze or talk. Flu can cause high – sometimes dangerous – fevers as well as chills, sore throat, cough, congestion, muscle or body aches, and headaches. Some people, commonly children, may also have vomiting and diarrhea.
And flu can be dangerous: according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as many as 49,000 flu-related deaths occur each year.
How a flu shot might help those with heart problems
While anyone can have complications from the flu, people with cardiovascular problems are at higher risk to develop them, which can lead to respiratory failure, pneumonia, heart attack and/or stroke, and can also worsen pre-existing conditions like heart failure, diabetes or lung disease, including asthma.
A study published in the prestigious medical journal JAMA found that getting a flu vaccine reduced the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure or other major cardiac events – including death – by about a third over the following year.
It’s possible, although not yet proven, that flu increases the risk of a clot forming in blood vessels and/or that flu virus can provoke inflammatory changes in the blood vessels that contribute to heart attacks.
Help prevent the spread of flu
The best way to prevent influenza is to get vaccinated every year. The CDC recommends that everyone 6 months and older get a flu vaccine every fall. While most people have no side effects from the vaccine, some people might develop a mild fever, muscle aches or mild arm soreness.
Although some people claim that the flu vaccine actually causes the flu, this is simply not true.
Everyday preventive actions, such as avoiding close contact with infected people, covering your mouth and nose when coughing or sneezing, and frequent handwashing are also recommended to help reduce the spread of germs that cause the flu.
It is important to remember that the more people who get vaccinated against the flu, the fewer people who are likely to have it. By lowering your own risk you are also lowering the risk for those around us – your children, your grandchildren, your coworkers and friends.
And finally, if you have a higher risk for heart attack or stroke, talk to your doctor about whether a flu vaccine is a wise choice for additional, potentially life-saving protection.
You might also like:
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Locations
Pharmacy
Good Samaritan Retail Pharmacy
UK Good Samaritan Hospital
310 S. Limestone
Room C-017
Lexington, KY 40508Fax 859-257-5590Call 859-218-4777Call 859-218-4775 (Doctor Line)Sunday: 8:00 am-6:00 pm
Monday - Friday: 7:00 am-10:00 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am-6:00 pm
Turfland Clinic Pharmacy
UK HealthCare - Turfland
2195 Harrodsburg Road
Lexington, KY 40504Fax 859-323-5594Call 859-257-5899Call 859-218-6980 (Doctor Line)Sunday: 8:00 am-5:30 pm
Monday - Friday: 7:00 am-9:30 pm
Saturday: 8:00 am-5:30 pm
Turfland Clinic Pharmacy is a full-service pharmacy conveniently located at UK HealthCare at Turfland and open to everyone. Enter via the Barnstable Brown Diabetes Center entrance at Turfland and go straight back to reach the pharmacy.
Curbside prescription delivery available Monday - Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. Park in the designated spaces at the rear of the building (the opposite side from Harrodsburg Road and call the phone number on the signs).
Email the pharmacy at tcpmail@uky.edu - Note that this email is not secure and should not be used to send personal health information.
Kentucky Clinic Pharmacy
Kentucky Clinic
740 S. Limestone
First Floor, Room J134
Lexington, KY 40536Fax 859-323-1056Call 859-323-5855Call 859-257-5552 (Doctor line)Sunday: 9:00 am-5:00 pm
Monday - Friday: 7:30 am-9:00 pm
Saturday: 9:00 am-5:00 pm and Closed all university holidays
kcpmail@uky.edu - Note that this email is not secure and should not be used to send personal health information.
A full-service pharmacy conveniently located just inside the main entrance of the Kentucky Clinic.
Chandler Retail Pharmacy
Chandler Retail Pharmacy
UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital - Pavilion A
1000 S. Limestone
First Floor, Room A.01.114
Lexington, KY 40536Fax 859-323-4277 (323-4CRP)Call 859-218-3340Call 859-218-3350 (Doctor Line)Chandler Retail Pharmacy is now open 24 hours a day, seven days a week to better serve our patients and customers.
The Chandler Retail Pharmacy is a convenient option for patients, staff and the public visiting UK Albert B. Chandler Hospital. The pharmacy offers a full range of prescription medication services, over-the-counter medications and a variety of sundry convenience items.
CRPmail@uky.edu - Note that this email is not secure and should not be used to send personal health information.
We are located across from the Don & Mira Ball Surgery Waiting Area.
View or download a map of the Chandler Retail Pharmacy location (PDF, 128 KB) »
The Good Samaritan Retail Pharmacy – located in the front lobby of UK Good Samaritan Hospital – is a convenient option for patients, staff and the public visiting UK Good Samaritan Hospital. The pharmacy offers a full range of prescription medication services, over-the-counter medications and a variety of sundry convenience items.
gsrpmail@uky.edu - Note that this email is not secure and should not be used to send personal health information.
Note that Holiday hours are from 8 a.m. - 6 p.m.