People with Heart Disease Should not Miss the Annual flu Vaccine

 

Even though vaccinations are known for preventing serious and deadly diseases, there are still groups of people who do not fully know the importance of vaccinations and therefore, avoid or forget getting vaccinated at the right time. Since August is National Immunization Awareness Month, it is essential that all of us educate ourselves about vaccinations as much as we can so that outbreaks do not occur and people of all ages remain safe.

In this blog, our focus will be on flu shots and why flu shots are necessary for people with heart disease. Risk of serious flu complications goes up for people with cardiovascular problems if they do not get a flu shot. How? Let’s find out.

 

Dangers for people with heart problems

As we all know, the flu, also known as influenza, is a viral infection of the nose, throat, and lungs that spreads easily from one person to another. The reason why a lot of stress is placed on getting people with heart disease vaccinated for the flu is, its complications especially prove dangerous for them. What are those complications? If you have heart disease and you do not get vaccinated, you may become susceptible to serious medical problems such as pneumonia, lung failure, bronchitis, heart attack, and even death. That is why healthcare professionals recommend everyone, especially older adults and other risk groups, to get an annual flu vaccine.

When to get vaccinated

As per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, anyone above the age of 6 months can get vaccinated for the flu every year. People who are 65 and older, they can go for a high dose flu vaccine. According to healthcare professionals, September and October are the best months for getting vaccinated. However, if you do not get vaccinated in those months for some reason, you can still get the shot until January or sometimes later.

 

Heart patients should take special care of their health as they are more prone to other health complications. It is advised you regularly meet a healthcare professional so that he/she can examine your heart health. Many heart problems are noticeable when you engage in certain activities such as sleeping, exercising, eating, etc. To monitor the electrical activity of your heart during these activities, the medical professional may use Ambulatory ECG.