Why Getting a Flu Shot Matters for Heart Health

5 Tips for Making Your Flu Shot Count

Flu vaccines are considered safe for most everyone, including people with heart disease. The following can help you make the most of yours.

1. Timing Is Everything

Flu season starts to gear up in the fall and peaks between December and February. It takes a couple of weeks after vaccination for immunity to set in, so it’s ideal to get a flu shot before then (especially for people with heart disease or risk factors). An easy way to think about it, Dr. Sanchez says, is to make Halloween — October 31 — your deadline.

2. But It’s Never Too Late

Even if you miss that deadline, get a shot anyway. Flu season can linger into late spring, so getting vaccinated in November or even later can still help protect you from the virus. In fact, Sanchez says, if you got the flu early in the season, it’s not too late to get vaccinated to prevent a second bout of illness.

And remember, if you have heart disease or risk factors, the vaccine can help reduce your risk of serious complications, including atherosclerosis (plaque buildup in the arteries), stroke, heart attack, and heart failure.

3. Make Sure You’re Healthy

“A runny nose or sore throat shouldn’t stop you from getting a flu vaccine,” Sanchez says. It’s also okay to get the flu vaccine if you’ve recently been treated for a heart condition, Dr. Ye says. “In fact, we often recommend flu and pneumonia vaccinations for patients who are about to be discharged from a hospitalization for cardiovascular conditions.”

However, if you have a fever, it’s best to wait, as a high temperature means your immune system is focused on fighting off an infection.

Staying home until severe infections have passed also helps prevent the spread of infection to others.

4. Be Picky, if Possible

All flu shots are approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, even those offered at your local supermarket pharmacy or pop-up vaccination clinic, meaning they’re safe and effective. However, since older adults are at an increased risk of serious flu complications, including heart-related ones, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that people 65 and over get either a high-dose flu vaccine (Fluzone high dose or Flublock recombinant) or an adjuvanted one, which has an added ingredient to help it boost the immune response. If neither is available, get whichever flu shot is; it will still provide plenty of protection.

Bear in mind that the nasal spray generally isn’t recommended for people with heart disease or a history of stroke, though the shot is okay.

5. Stay Up to Date on Other Vaccines

If you’re due for another vaccine, including a COVID-19 shot or booster, or a pneumococcal vaccine, it’s absolutely fine to roll up both sleeves at the same time as you get a flu shot. Pneumonia is a common complication of the flu.

You may also be eligible for an RSV vaccine if you’re in a high-risk group, such as being 75 or older or in your third trimester of pregnancy. It’s safe to get this shot at the same time as others, as well.

Source link