The flu vaccine can reduce stroke

The flu vaccine is a preventive measure that helps prevent influenza, a highly contagious respiratory illness
caused by the influenza virus.
The vaccine, usually given as an injection or nasal spray, is recommended for people of all ages, especially those at higher risk of flu complications, such as young children, the elderly, and people
with certain underlying medical conditions.
Getting a flu shot reduces your risk of getting the flu, reduces the severity of your symptoms if you're really sick, and prevents the virus from spreading to others
.

"The flu vaccine is known to reduce the risk of
heart attack and hospitalization in people with heart disease.
Dr Michael Hill, a researcher at the Cumming Medical School (CSM) and principal investigator of the study, said: "We wanted to know if the vaccine had the same protective effect
for those at risk of stroke.
Our findings show that people who have recently received the flu vaccine have a lower
risk of stroke.
This applies to all adults, not just those
at high risk of stroke.
”

The data for this study comes from Alberta's Medicare Plan
.
The researchers considered various factors in their analysis, such as age, anticoagulant use, and risk factors
including chronic health conditions.

"We found that the risk of stroke was significantly reduced
within six months of receiving the flu vaccine.
Dr.
Jessalyn Holodinsky, the study's first author and a postdoctoral scholar at CSM, said
.
"The findings suggest that widespread influenza vaccination may be a viable public health strategy
to prevent stroke.
"

The study was recently published in
the Lancet Journal of Public Health.
The two advantages of the study, the researchers said, are that it used data for the entire population over 10 flu seasons, and that the study took place in a province
with only a single universal health care system.

Hill said the general benefits of flu vaccines for stroke prevention are a new finding that he hopes will lead to more research
into indirect protective factors for flu and other vaccines.

"We know that upper respiratory tract infections usually occur before
heart attacks and strokes.
Preventing or mitigating the severity of influenza provides a protective factor, especially against stroke," Hill said
.
"This protective link is very strong
.
We found that getting the flu vaccine was good for both men and women, and that people who received the flu vaccine had a significantly lower risk of stroke as they
aged.
”

References: "Association between influenza vaccination and risk of stroke in Alberta, Canada: a population-based study" by Jessalyn K Holodinsky, Ph.
D.
, Charlotte Zerna, Ph.
D.
, Shaun Malo, MSc, Lawrence W Svenson, Ph.
D.
and Professor Michael D Hill, MD, 1 November 2022, The Lancet Public Health.