Why does having chronic heart disease put someone at greater risk from flu and its effects?

 

 

At Risk Group: Chronic heart disease

  • Congenital heart disease
  • High blood pressure (hypertension) with cardiac complications
  • Chronic heart failure
  • Those needing regular medication and/or follow up for ischaemic heart disease.1

 
Risk
Heart disease stops the heart from pumping blood as well as it should and stops it from picking up oxygen from the lungs, meaning such patients may have less oxygen available which makes it harder to clear the flu virus from the body. Infection with flu has also been linked to an increased risk of heart attack in such patients.2 Finally, having flu puts the patient at risk of other complications, particularly pneumococcal infection.3

 

Nurse Jenny Greenfield, Flu Lead/Lead Nurse Cervical Screening Improvement, Public Health Directorate, discusses why those who have chronic heart problems are at risk from the serious effects of flu.

 

 

Chronic Heart Disease - Slides

You can download the slides from the presentation here:

 

 

 

References

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1. Department of Health. Immunisation against infectious disease (Green Book) May 2011. TSO

2. Corrales-Medina VF, Madjid M, Musher DM. Role of acute infection in triggering acute coronary syndromes. Lancet Infect Dis 2010; 10:83-92

3. Musher DM. In Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases, 4th Edition Churchill Livingstone; 1995 p1811-1826

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