How vaccines protect you from heart disease and

heart failure

Adults tend to get careless about keeping up with vaccines. Only 20-28% of adults have an updated

Tdap vaccine, 35% are vaccinated against shingles, and a mere 45% of adults got their flu shot in

2018.

Maybe you’re not worried about tetanus, whooping cough, or shingles. And if you’re healthy,

seasonal flu may not be a big concern. But here’s the problem: All these diseases affect your heart

and increase your risk of heart disease, including deadly heart attacks.

As part of our preventive cardiology services at Corrielus Cardiology, Dr Sanul Corrielus and our

team help patients stay healthy and prevent heart disease by lowering their risk factors. One of the

ways we do that is by making sure you have the necessary vaccines.

Here’s the information you need to know about how vaccines can prevent heart disease.

Vaccines prevent respiratory conditions that affect your

heart

Respiratory diseases lower oxygen levels in your blood. When that happens, your heart works harder

to pump more blood and supply your brain, muscles, and other tissues with the oxygen they need to

function and survive. The extra strain can weaken the heart muscles and lead to heart failure.

Influenza and pneumococcal vaccines prevent respiratory diseases. If you have a health problem such

as hypertension, diabetes, or high cholesterol and you develop pneumonia, the extra stress on your

heart increases your risk of heart failure or a heart attack.

Though vaccines don’t prevent chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), they do lower your

chances of having a COPD flare-up. Reducing flare-ups also protects your heart.

Vaccines prevent other heart-damaging diseases

If you have heart disease or you have a high risk of developing a heart condition, you should talk

with us about vaccines to prevent diseases that can damage your heart, including tetanus, diphtheria,

whooping cough, and shingles.

Tetanus, diphtheria, and whooping cough

If you’re not up to date with your Tdap vaccine or boosters, you need to know that heart

complications can occur if you get tetanus, diphtheria, or whooping cough.

The diphtheria toxin damages heart muscles and causes inflammation — a condition called

myocarditis. A severe case of myocarditis can lead to heart failure or other complications.

Complications from whooping cough include pneumonia and heart failure. Though tetanus is rare, it

causes an acute illness that raises your blood pressure and heart rate. In acute cases, tetanus may

damage your heart, resulting in heart disease or heart failure.

Shingles

The shingles vaccine, also called the zoster vaccine, is relatively new, but it’s an incredibly important

vaccine for older adults. Shingles increase your risk of having a heart attack by 59% and also raises

the risk of stroke by 35%.

Flu vaccines prevent heart attacks

Did you know that adults who have a bout of seasonal flu are six times more likely to have a heart

attack within a week? If you already have a heart condition, the seasonal flu often results in heart

complications. You can prevent these problems by getting a seasonal flu vaccine.

Since we’re on the brink of having a vaccine for COVID-19, you should also know that this vaccine

will do more than protect you from severe respiratory illness. COVID-19 can also affect your heart,

causing heart inflammation, heart failure, and an irregular heartbeat.

If you have any questions about vaccines or preventing heart problems, Corrielus Cardiology

performs many non-invasive tests to ensure patients get the most accurate diagnosis of their heart

symptoms from the top cardiologist in Philadelphia

SOURCE:

How Vaccines Protect You From Heart Disease and Heart Failure

Dr Ram Aesthetic