A new study conducted with adults with type 2 diabetes in UK primary-care clinics shows that those who received the influenza shot had lower hospitalisation rates for flu and pneumonia, major cardiovascular diseases and death during the following flu season as compared to those who were not vaccinated. The study is published in CMAJ.
This is the first study of its kind to evaluate cardiovascular outcomes in diabetic patients who did or did not receive the flu shot.
Diabetic patients who received the flu shot had 15 to 30 percent lower rates of death or hospital admissions due to stroke, heart failure, pneumonia or influenza during the following flu season.
This study thus shows that it may be possible to reduce cardiovascular illness and death during flu season by ensuring that people with chronic diseases such as diabetes are vaccinated. It is recommended that before flu season even begins, cardiologists, internists and endocrinologists should advise their patients to receive the flu shot and should even offer it at their local sites.
According to Dr Jacob A Udell, Peter Munk Cardiac Centre and Cardiovascular Division, University Health Network, and University of Toronto, Canada says, "I strongly believe it should be considered a performance measure in our system," similar to screening for high cholesterol. This study shows no harm and certainly potential benefit if all adult diabetic patients get a flu shot. Moreover, we shouldn't be satisfied with just a 65% vaccination rate."
Source: CMAJ
Image Credit: Freestockphoto
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Flu Shot, Diabetics, CV Hospitalisations
A new study shows that adults with Type 2 diabetes and who received the influenza shot had lower hospitalisation rates for flu and pneumonia, major cardiovascular diseases and death during the following flu season as compared to those who were not vaccina
