Researchers Jessalyn Holodinsky, left, and Michael Hill say the findings suggest broad influenza vaccination may be a viable public health strategy to prevent stroke.
Quentin Collier, Department of Clinical Neurosciences
Nov. 3, 2022
Flu vaccine lowers risk of stroke, research shows
UCalgary study discovers new benefit to annual influenza shot
Study shows flu vaccination lowers risk of stroke.
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Researchers at the 六九色堂 say the flu vaccine lowers the risk of stroke among adults even if they are not at high risk for stroke. Investigators evaluated the health records of over four million Albertans over a nine-year period. The results indicate vaccination against influenza should be strongly recommended for everyone, just like it is for those with heart disease.
鈥淭he flu shot is known to reduce the risk of heart attack and hospitalization for people with heart disease. We wanted to find out whether the vaccine has the same protective qualities for those at risk of stroke,鈥 says Dr. Michael Hill, MD, researcher at the (CSM) and principal investigator on the study.
Our findings show the risk of stroke is lower among people who have recently received a flu shot. This was true for all adults, not just those at high risk of having a stroke.
Data used in the study comes from the Alberta Health Care Insurance Plan. Researchers accounted for several factors including age, anticoagulant use, and risk factors including chronic health conditions.
鈥淲e found that the risk of stroke was significantly reduced in the six months following an influenza vaccination.,鈥 says Dr. Jessalyn Holodinsky, PhD, assistant professor at the CSM and first author on the study.
鈥淭he findings suggest broad influenza vaccination may be a viable public health strategy to prevent stroke.鈥
The in The Lancet Public Health. The researchers say two strengths of this study are that it used data from an entire population over a period of 10 flu seasons, and the study occurred in a province with one single universal health-care system.
Hill says the generalized benefit of influenza vaccination for stroke prevention is a new finding that he hopes will lead to more research about the indirect protective factors of the flu and other vaccines.
鈥淲e know that upper respiratory infections often precede heart attacks and strokes.听 Preventing or reducing the severity of influenza provides a protective factor particularly for stroke,鈥 says Hill.
鈥淭he protective association was very strong. We saw it benefited both men and women and that there was a clear reduction in risk of stroke with increasing age for those who had a flu shot.鈥
The study adds to the body of research conducted by the , a collaboration between the 六九色堂 (, ) and at the .
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Michael Hill is a neurologist at the Foothills Medical Centre and a professor in the Cumming School of Medicine鈥檚 (CSM) departments of听, , , and . He is a member of the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, the and the at the CSM.听
Jessalyn Holodinsky is an assistant professor in the departments of Emergency Medicine, 听, and听 at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM). She is a member of the , Hotchkiss Brain Institute and the Alberta Children鈥檚 Hospital Research Institute at the CSM.听
The Hotchkiss Brain Institute
The Hotchkiss Brain Institute (HBI) at the 六九色堂 consists of more than 140 scientists and clinician-scientists who are dedicated to advancing brain and mental health research and education. The institute鈥檚 research strengths, in Brain & Behaviour, Neural Injury & Repair and Healthy Brain Aging, are leading to a better understanding of the brain and nervous system and new treatments for neurological and mental health disorders, aimed at improving quality of life and patient care. .听
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