Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Influenza is the cause of millions of deaths yearly in the USA and globally. It presents a significant health burden in millions of people and is associated with chronic disease exacerbations including acute cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke. We reviewed recent studies and a meta-analysis to assess the part that influenza vaccination plays in cardiovascular system protection. RECENT FINDINGS: A sizable study measured the effect of influenza vaccination on cardiovascular health and mortality. This retrospective observational study used the 2012-2015 US National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database and included 22,634,643 hospitalizations. The patients who received the vaccine against influenza were associated with lower myocardial infarction (MI) (RR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.82-0.87, p < 0.001), transient ischemic attack (TIA) (RR = 0.93, 95% CI: 0.9-0.96, p < 0.001), cardiac arrest (RR = 0.36, 95% CI: 0.33-0.39, p < 0.001), stroke (RR = 0.94, 95% CI: 0.91, 0.97, p < 0.001), and mortality (RR = 0.38, 95% CI: 0.36-0.4, p < 0.001). Recent studies have reported a decrease in cardiovascular risk and mortality with influenza vaccine administration. Therefore, it is recommended to obtain the influenza vaccine (if there are no contraindications), especially individuals who are at risk of chronic disease exacerbations including acute cardiovascular events.