Vaccines against respiratory infections cut heart failure deaths
Influenza and pneumonia vaccinations are associated with fewer hospital deaths in patients with heart failure. That's the result of a study in nearly 3 million Americans released today at ESC Congress 2020.
One out of
five individuals will develop heart failure in their lifetime. An estimated 26
million people are affected worldwide. Heart failure is a serious condition in
which the heart cannot pump blood around the body as well at it should. It
leads to a build-up of fluid in the lungs, causing shortness of breath and
coughing, and impacts people's quality of life, often requiring urgent hospitalisations.
Respiratory infections such as influenza and pneumonia make heart failure
worse, and annual vaccinations are recommended.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has shone the spotlight on the importance of vaccination to prevent respiratory infections, particularly for people with diseases like heart failure," said study author Dr. Karthik Gonuguntla of the University of Connecticut.
While it
is known that inoculations protect against respiratory infections, and that
these infections exacerbate heart failure, few studies have compared outcomes
of vaccinated versus unvaccinated patients. This study examined whether
immunisations had any link with the risk of heart failure patients dying while
in hospital.
The study included 2,912,137 patients with heart failure who had a hospital admission in 2010 to 2014. The average age was 70 years. Data were obtained from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS), which covers more than 95% of the US population.
Just 1.4%
of patients in the study had the flu vaccine and 1.4% had the pneumonia
vaccine. The researchers compared in-hospital death rates between heart failure
patients who received flu and pneumonia vaccinations that year and those who
did not.
Rates of in-hospital mortality were significantly lower in patients who
received the flu vaccine (1.3%) compared to those who did not receive the flu
vaccine (3.6%). Similarly, rates of in-hospital mortality were significantly
lower in patients inoculated against pneumonia (1.2%) compared to those who
were not inoculated (3.6%).
Dr.
Gonuguntla said: "Our study provides further impetus for annual
immunisations in patients with heart failure. Despite advice to do so, uptake
remains low. Although large administrative databases like the NIS are prone to
containing some errors, the data indicate that there is some distance to go
before reaching 100% coverage."
He
noted that serious reactions to flu and pneumonia vaccinations are very rare,
happen within a few hours, and can be effectively treated.
Dr. Gonuguntla said: "Pneumonia and flu vaccines are vital to
preventing these respiratory infections and protecting patients with
heart failure. Although many people have rejected common and safe
vaccines before COVID-19, I am optimistic that the pandemic has
changed perceptions about the role of immunisations in
safeguarding our health."