2023-12-24 04:08:12
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Flu viruses can massively attack the heart. © Kzenon/Panther Media
There is a Christmas flu wave going around in Munich. It hits the heart of one in ten patients. The German Heart Foundation recommends vaccination.
Munich – Munich is sniffling and coughing, before Christmas the waiting rooms of the doctor’s offices were packed. The wave of colds brings with it a wide variety of pathogens, including corona and flu viruses. The latter can have a massive impact on the heart. The German Heart Foundation warns about this – and emphasizes that far more people are affected than many people think. For example, real flu (influenza) also affects the heart in around one in ten sufferers, for example in the form of myocarditis. This is the technical term for inflammation of the heart muscle.
Double danger from flu viruses and pneumococci
The cardiologist Professor Thomas Voigtländer is chairman of the board of the German Heart Foundation. © Christian Hesselmann/German Heart Foundation
“Heart failure that can even lead to hospitalization can also be caused by a severe illness caused by a flu virus or pneumococcal infection. People with cardiovascular disease should be vaccinated against the influenza virus and against pneumococci, the main pathogens that cause pneumonia,” emphasizes cardiologist and intensive care physician Prof. Thomas Voigtländer, chairman of the board of the German Heart Foundation. A pneumococcal vaccination is also recommended for people aged 60 and over or younger people with a particular health risk such as chronic lung disease.
Anyone who should definitely get vaccinated against flu now
The best period for flu vaccination (October to November) has already passed. But in view of the strong flu epidemic, vaccination still makes sense in many cases, advises the German Heart Foundation. Vaccination is particularly recommended for the following groups of people:
– Elderly people aged 60 and over
– People with an increased health risk due to an underlying disease, for example chronic respiratory diseases or cardiovascular diseases, liver or kidney diseases, diabetes
– Pregnant women
– Medical staff and carers of high-risk patients
– Employees in facilities with high public traffic
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Danger of flu: Risk for heart patients significantly increased
Anyone who already suffers from heart disease should work even harder to protect themselves from the flu viruses. For example, for patients with atrial fibrillation, coronary heart disease (CHD), heart valve disease or heart failure (heart failure), it is particularly important to protect the heart from additional damage caused by influenza. Your risk of becoming seriously ill with the flu or suffering a subsequent infection is significantly increased.
Having a cold in bed: This fate is currently shared by thousands of people in the country and many people in Munich. © Maurizio Gambarini/dpa
Important to know: The flu vaccination does not offer 100% protection against infection, partly because flu viruses change every year. That’s why the flu vaccination has to be done every year. Heart Foundation experts recommend quadruple vaccination because of better protection compared to a triple vaccination. This only protects against the influenza A viruses and one influenza B virus strain, whereas the quadruple vaccination also protects against another influenza B virus strain. So the impact is broader. The Heart Foundation offers further information on the flu vaccination and measures for better protection against infections such as hygiene precautions (hand washing) on one Service page on the Internet.
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