Flu Shot May Reduce Your Stroke Risk

It's time to get a flu shot, and believe it or not, another benefit besides protection against the virus is reduced stroke risk.

A new study published in the journal Vaccine found that the risk goes down two months after receiving the vaccine. The study results build on previous findings that also suggest that the flu may reduce the risk of heart attack. 

Researchers at the University of Lincoln discovered that stroke risk fell by around a fifth in the first 59 days after receiving the shot. In fact, there were 36 percent fewer cases of stroke than were typically expected of the ‘baseline' population, while the second week showed a 30 percent reduction. The third and fourth weeks showed 24 percent fewer stroke cases that dropped to 17 percent between 29 and 59 days.

During the study, researchers used a series of self-controlled cases to assess how having the flu vaccine affected by the risk of stroke over time in close to 18,000 cases. All participants involved in the study were 18 or older and had suffered a first stroke between 2001 and 2009, with over half the cases being women. Then, they compared how many strokes occurred up to 180 days following exposure to the effects of the flu vaccine with other times when the other person was not protected by the vaccine.

"This is a significant finding, and if confirmed in a clinical trial could be one that can change lives," researcher Niro Siriwardena, said in a statement.

"Our findings support current recommendations for the flu vaccination in people at high risk, but with the added effect of stroke prevention. Our study demonstrated that the earlier the vaccination is delivered the greater the linked reduction in stroke risk, so this should also encourage early vaccination," Siriwardena said. "We are now at the point of developing further studies into whether it could be recommended to extend vaccination to younger adults at risk of stroke. If a causative link between influenza vaccination and reduction in stroke risk is confirmed by experimental studies and if this leads to higher vaccinations rates, there would be significant benefits for patient and population health."

The antibody response against the flu virus typically lasts between four to six months. 

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