Influenza is known to contribute to the encumber of acute cardiovascular events during the annual epidemics. This cross-sectional population-based study was aimed to examine such events and determine risk factors for acute heart failure (aHF) and acute ischemic heart disease (aIHD) in adults. The study’s participants involved hospitalized adults with laboratory-confirmed influenza and identified through a medical practitioner’s influenza testing.
Among 89,999 adults with laboratory-confirmed influenza, 80,261 had complete medical record abstractions and available ICD codes, 11.7% had an acute cardiovascular event. The most common such events were aHF (6.2%) and aIHD (5.7%). The study results of adults hospitalized with influenza indicate that almost 12% had an acute cardiovascular event, most commonly aHF and aIHD.
In conclusion, acute cardiovascular events were found to be a common diagnosis among adults hospitalized with influenza, particularly amongst older patients and those with underlying chronic disease. The percentages of patients with these on-going events experienced high morbidity, and mortality was high. Increasing the influenza vaccination rates, especially among those with risk factors, is essential in preventing infection and potentially reducing influenza-related cardiovascular complications and unfavorable outcomes.
Ref: https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/M20-1509
