by Doctor W. Gifford Jones
November 2, 2004
Think you know all about flu shots? That its only benefit is the fending off of the flu bug? If that’s the case, you had better think again. a report in The New England Journal of Medicine shows that flu shots also dramatically cut the risk of heart disease and stroke.
This year people in the U.S. are annoyed that flu shots may not be available for everyone. So it’s ironic that in other years when the vaccine was readily available 60 percent of those who need it never got it. They believed "it won’t happen to me" and for some it was a fatal error.
Researchers checked the medical records of people over 65 years of age who were enrolled in three managed care health plans in Minneapolis-ST. Paul, Portland, Oregon, and New York City during two recent flu seasons.
During the first season 140,055 people were studied and 56 percent were vaccinated. In the second season 60 percent of 146,328 enrollees received flu shots.
Researchers then compared length of hospital stays of those who received shots and those who didn’t. They were astonished to find that flu vaccination decreased hospitalizations for heart disease by a whopping 19 percent in both seasons. and hospital stays for stroke were reduced by 16 percent the first season and 23 percent the next.
More good news followed. The study showed that flu immunization decreased hospital stays by about one-third for the flu and pneumonia, a common complication. It also reduced by 50 percent the risk of death from any cause.
Dr. Kristin Nichol of the Veterans affairs Medical Center at Fort Snelling said, "Influenza may be even worse than we thought and flu shots even better than we thought."
The connection between flu, heart disease and stroke is not clear. But it’s believed that the virus might produce blood clots in both the heart and brain.
It’s ironic that the SaRS epidemic caused so much concern when flu is often ignored. The public forgets that every year 30,000 to 40,000 North americans die from influenza. and that’s in a good year!
There’s no guarantee that another epidemic of flu similar to that of 1918 won’t happen again. It killed 20 to 40 million people worldwide. More people died from influenza at that tine than during World War I. During a single week in the U.S 21,000 people died. and at year’s end 675,000 americans had gone to their graves.
The situation in Kansas was particularly devastating. an army physician wrote the Governor, "There are 1440 minutes in a day. When I tell you there are 1440 admissions from influenza in a day you will realize the strain it’s putting on our nursing and medical staff."
Patients die from the complications of influenza and bacterial pneumonia, the most common cause. But patients can also succumb to viral pneumonia, acute kidney failure and a number of nervous system disorders.
Ideally everyone should roll up a sleeve for a flu shot. But it’s of vital importance for those over 65 years of age, patients in nursing homes, those suffering from chronic illnesses, and health care workers.
There was some debate in the past whether asthmatic patients should have a flu shot. But recent studies show that asthmatic patients also benefit from being vaccinated against the flu. Yet only 9 to 25 percent of asthmatics get this protection.
Those who are allergic to eggs and egg product should say "No" to the vaccine. Minute traces of egg protein in the vaccine could trigger an allergic reaction.
The message is crystal clear. Never get too blas about the impact of influenza. This column’s advice can’t protect you from a brain tumour or a head-on car collision. But getting a flu shot can save your life. Or prevent the feeling of being hit by a Mack truck. You get more than the sniffles if influenza strikes.
So don’t delay talking to your doctor about a flu shot. Epidemics strike suddenly and it takes a mere two weeks for the infection to travel from Vancouver to Halifax. It’s extremely contagious and hard to escape unless you’re a hermit.
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