The recommendation, published this week in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, recommends people with cardiovascular disease receive vaccines against influenza, COVID-19, and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), as this population is at greater risk for respiratory infections and subsequent adverse events, including hospitalization and death. The guidance also recommends other vaccines, such as those against shingles and pneumococcal disease, where vaccination appears to offer cardiovascular protection.
The European Society of Cardiology has also recognized the importance of vaccination against respiratory disease as part of cardiovascular risk management. A consensus statement released earlier this year by the group called for vaccinations to be “considered the fourth pillar” of medical prevention of cardiovascular disease, alongside antihypertensives, lipid-lowering agents and drugs that treat diabetes.
The authors of the statement noted that data from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study showed that each 5% increase in monthly influenza activity was linked with a 24% increase in hospitalization rates for heart failure. SARS-CoV-2 was also associated with a significant rise in the risk for cardiovascular disease, particularly early in the COVID-19 pandemic when population immunity was extremely low, according to the National Institutes of Health. Other respiratory infections, including RSV, parainfluenza, adenovirus, and pneumococcal pneumonia, have also been tied to increased morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular conditions.
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