Influenza has taken a back seat in headlines this year, but experts recommend that you get a flu shot nonetheless, including for a reason you might not be aware of — your heart.
The Mayo Clinic says complications from the flu are more likely in people with heart disease. The Centers for Disease Control reviewed cases of 80,000 people diagnosed with the flu from 2010 to 2018. Of those, nearly 12 percent had a serious cardiovascular problem. The study was published in August.
According to Harvard Medical School, the body's immune response against the infection can trigger inflammation and other changes that harm the cardiovascular system. And because just 30 percent of people with the flu develop a fever, the infection can go unnoticed. The flu shot can help prevent infections and also reduce the risk of developing severe complications when infections do occur.
Covid plus flu
One unpleasant scenario: It is possible to get COVID-19 and the flu at the same time–a catastrophic and possibly lethal combination. Symptoms of both are much the same, but many COVID-19 patients report a loss of taste of smell.
A flu shot helps to avoid this double whammy.