“Getting vaccinated is an important step in staying healthy.”
Each year thousands of people get ill from serious diseases that could have been prevented by vaccines, some even get hospitalized and some even die. People suffering from heart diseases and those who have already suffered stroke are at a higher risk for serious problems from certain diseases. If anyone is suffering from cardiovascular diseases, then talk to your health care provider about getting your vaccinations up to date.
Why Vaccines are important for heart patients?
Heart disease makes it difficult to fight against certain infections and heart patients are more prone to serious complications from certain diseases.
Immunization is one of the convenient measures and provides the best protection against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Vaccines are the safest method to stay healthy even if you are taking prescription medicines against heart diseases. They do have mild side effects in some patients like fever, body ache, swelling but it goes away on its own within few days. Severe side effects are very rare.
Some vaccine-preventable diseases, like flu can increase the risk of heart attack.
Vaccine allows your body to develop antibodies which helps to fights off infections.
Vaccination protects yourself and your loved ones. It also avoids spreading of preventable diseases to other people in your community.
Vaccines needed for heart patients:
Influenza Vaccine: Patients with heart disease are at a greater risk of developing serious complications from flu.
Influenza is associated with an increase of heart disease and stroke.
Pneumococcal Vaccine: People who are having heart related diseases should remain up to date with Pneumococcal vaccination for the protection against pneumococcal diseases like pneumonia, meningitis and bloodstream infections. Pneumococcal pneumonia is a major complication which can lead to death.
Tdap Vaccine: To protect against diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough.
Zoster Vaccine: To protect against shingles.
There may be other vaccines recommended for adults based on:
- Lifestyle
- Travel habits- and other factors
Awareness about COVID-19 vaccines to Heart and Stroke patients.
People with cardiovascular risk factors and diseases should get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families against COVID-19.
The Food and Drug Administration-authorized vaccines pose no problem to heart patients.
The American Health Association encouraged people with cardiovascular diseases to get vaccinated “as soon as possible”.
Getting vaccinated is very important for heart patients as they are at a higher risk of developing serious complications from COVID-19 caused by coronavirus than they are from the vaccine.
Vaccines can also be safely administered to people on blood thinning medications.
However, the vaccine leads to side effects like sore arm, pain at the injection site, headache, muscle pain, tiredness, joint pain and fever but it wears off with time and the risk of complication due to vaccine is very less.
Is there any link between heart attacks and COVID-19 vaccine?
COVID-19 vaccines have been marked safe and effective however its slight impact on heart health has not been ruled out by medical practitioners.
Like most of the vaccines, some may experience side effects associated with COVID-19 vaccine like soreness or redness at the site of the injection.
Currently many reports of sudden cardiac arrest in young and healthy have been reported from various parts of the country, as a result the impact of COVID-19 vaccine on heart health have come to the spotlight again.
However medical practitioners maintain that the COVID-19 vaccine has far more benefits than its side effects.
However, there is no such evidence that COVID-19 vaccine causes increase in the risk of heart attacks, it can lead to mild heart inflammation but with time and treatment the inflammation goes away.
It is very important to note that according to the research, the heart inflammation caused by COVID-19 vaccine occurs at a very lower rate than the heart inflammation caused by COVID-19 infection.
Is there any link between Myocarditis and Pericarditis and COVID-19 vaccine?
Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle and Pericarditis is the inflammation of the lining surrounding the heart.
Many countries are reporting myocarditis and pericarditis in individuals after receiving COVID-19 vaccines.
The cases have been reported within few days of vaccination, mostly in younger males and following second dose of COVID-19 vaccines.
However, US Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has concluded that benefits of COVID-19 vaccines outweighs the risk of myocarditis and pericarditis among people.
Causes of heart attack in young:
Heart ailments -inflammation, coronary artery disease or heart attacks are multifactorial in nature with various attributes such as:
- lifestyle i.e. obesity, food habits
- pre-existing conditions – diabetes, hypertension, lipid disturbance.
- Could be COVID infection – Both delta and omicron variant induce mild to moderate inflammation, thrombosis – blood clot along with gradual changes in architecture of heart muscles.
Safety of vaccines for the people with heart conditions?
The COVID-19 vaccine is very safe for the people with heart conditions.
Trials have been conducted to mark the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine including healthy individuals and individuals with heart conditions.
In fact, vaccination is extremely important for the people with heart conditions as they are at a higher risk of getting infected from COVID -19 and experiencing serious health conditions.
To know more about vaccination for heart patients, consult your doctor or book a free consultation at INVC.
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