New research suggest that the flu vaccine lowers stroke risk, even in adults who are not at high risk for stroke.
Researchers on the study from the University of Calgary, evaluated the health records of over four million Albertans over a nine-year period.
Results indicated vaccination against influenza should be strongly recommended for everyone, in the same manner it is recommended for individuals with heart disease.
Dr Michael Hill, primary investigator on this study says: “The flu shot is known to reduce the risk of heart attack and hospitalisation for people with heart disease. We wanted to find out whether the vaccine has the same protective qualities for those at risk of stroke.
“Our findings show the risk of stroke is lower among people who have recently received a flu shot. This was true for all adults, not just those at high risk of having a stroke.”
With the data used in this study, researchers accounted for several factors including age, anticoagulant use, and risk factors including chronic health conditions.
First author on the study, Dr Jessalyn Holodinsky says: “We found that the risk of stroke was significantly reduced in the six months following an influenza vaccination.
“The findings suggest broad influenza vaccination may be a viable public health strategy to prevent stroke.”
The research team says two strengths of this study are that the study used data from an entire population of 10 flu seasons, and the study occurred in a province with one single universal health-care system.
Hill highlights that the generalised benefit of influenza vaccination for stroke prevention is a new finding that he hopes will lead to more research about the indirect protective factors of the flu ad other vaccines.
Hill continues to say: “We know that upper respiratory infections often precede heart attacks and strokes. Preventing or reducing the severity of influenza provides a protective factor particularly for stroke.
“The protective association was very strong. We saw it benefitted both men and women and that there was a clear reduction in risk of stroke with increasing age for those who had a flu shot.”
