The life-threatening nature of heart attacks is made even worse by their unpredictable and sudden behaviour. While poor dietary choices can lay the groundwork for these medical emergencies, new research suggests that catching the flu could also put you at risk. Worryingly, the week following an influenza diagnosis could be especially dangerous.
A new study suggests that patients with flu could be six times more likely to suffer from a heart attack the week after catching the virus.
The research team arrived at these findings after analysing data from more than 26,000 patients across the Netherlands.
Flu has long been known to increase the stickiness of the blood which, along with inflammation, can weaken fatty plaques in the arteries and whip up a clot.
During a heart attack, the supply of blood to your heart gets suddenly blocked, usually by a clot like this.
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While the link between heart attacks and flu is nothing new, previous studies have focused solely on those hospitalised with heart attacks.
For example, a 2018 Canadian study didn’t include information from death records, meaning deaths which occurred outside of hospitals were not counted in the research.
However, this research used data from 16 labs across Holland – covering around two-fifths of the entire population (around 40 percent) – alongside death and hospital records to gain a broader and more accurate overview.
Across the Dutch laboratories, around 26,221 cases of flu were recorded between 2008 and 2019.
Of the total of 419 patients, 25 suffered from the medical emergency in the first seven days after being diagnosed with flu.
Another 217 suffered from heart attacks within the year prior to their diagnosis, and 177 suffered from the emergencies in the year following diagnosis but after the first week.
Based on these findings, Dr Annemarijn de Boer and his research team calculated that those they studied were 6.16 times more likely to suffer a heart attack in the first seven days after their flu diagnosis than in both the entire year preceding and following their diagnosis.
The research team now hopes their findings will help underline the importance of vaccination and raise awareness of heart attack symptoms in flu patients.
Dr de Boer added: “Our results endorse strategies to prevent influenza infection, including vaccination.
“They also advocate for a raised awareness among physicians and hospitalised flu patients for symptoms of heart attacks.
“While it isn’t clear from our results if those with less severe flu are also at risk, it is prudent for them to be aware of the link.”
The team’s study will be presented at the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases which will be held next month (15-18 April) in the Danish capital of Copenhagen.
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