The H1N1 Flu and Heart Disease
Is there a reason people with heart disease should be particularly concerned about H1N1 influenza (popularly known as swine flu)? And what precautions should they take to avoid complications with H1N1?
Influenza (flu) is caused by a viral infection that produces many nasty symptoms -- fever, muscle aches and pains, weakness, headache, watery eyes, sore throat, runny nose, and cough. While many of these symptoms are seen with other viral infections, they tend to be worse much when you have actual influenza. In fact, the respiratory or lung complications of flu result in many of the 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths caused each year in the United States by influenza viruses.
People with heart disease have a more difficult time with the flu than people without heart disease. This is because the flu produces a lot of stress on the cardiovascular system -- breathing difficulty, changes in blood pressure , rapid heart rate, and even direct effects on the heart -- that make this illness very difficult, and even dangerous, for someone who has heart disease.
Precautions You Should Take for H1N1?
Right now, there is still no evidence that the H1N1 flu is more dangerous than the "garden variety" flus that we see each year. But if you have heart disease, the garden variety flu is bad enough. Worse, as H1N1 is a very new strain of influenza, your chances of getting quite sick if you are exposed to it should be higher than with normal influenza. So you should take at least the same precautions you are supposed to take during any flu season.
One precaution you should take each year, of course, is to get your flu shot. Influenza vaccines usually eliminate the risk of dying if you have heart disease, and there is every reason to believe that the H1N1 flu shot will also reduce the risk of death. If you have heart disease, you should get the H1N1 flu shot as soon as possible. (Hence this year you should get two flu shots - one for H1N1, and one "regular" flu shot for the "normal" flu.)
And then you should take the typical precautions to avoid flu. Wash your hands frequently with either soap and water, or a hand sanitizer. And try to avoid contact with people who appear sick.
If the H1N1 flu comes to your area in a big way, you might want to somewhat restrict your outdoor activities, specifically, avoid large crowds when possible.
The practice of wearing face masks at the moment is being discouraged in the United States, with experts pointing out the fact that very little scientific evidence supports their effectiveness in preventing influenza. However, this author finds it noteworthy that healthcare workers in flu-affected areas are always wearing them, and wonders if the public disparaging of face masks may be part of the overall (albeit laudable) strategy to control panic. In any case, if you decide to wear a face mask, make sure it covers both your nose and your mouth, and that it creates a tight seal all the way around.
If You Get Sick
If you develop symptoms suggestive of the flu, call your doctor at once, even before you try any over-the-counter remedies (which may contain decongestants that people with heart disease should avoid). Inform your doctor that you have heart disease, and that if you have the flu you may benefit from one of the antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, which can reduce the seriousness of illness.
During your illness, you should also call your doctor if you develop difficulty in breathing, or if you do not improve after three or four days, or if you suddenly develop worsening symptoms (especially after beginning to get well).
It may be noted that all these precautions, of course, apply to any influenza, not just the H1N1 flu.
Influenza (flu) is caused by a viral infection that produces many nasty symptoms -- fever, muscle aches and pains, weakness, headache, watery eyes, sore throat, runny nose, and cough. While many of these symptoms are seen with other viral infections, they tend to be worse much when you have actual influenza. In fact, the respiratory or lung complications of flu result in many of the 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths caused each year in the United States by influenza viruses.
People with heart disease have a more difficult time with the flu than people without heart disease. This is because the flu produces a lot of stress on the cardiovascular system -- breathing difficulty, changes in blood pressure , rapid heart rate, and even direct effects on the heart -- that make this illness very difficult, and even dangerous, for someone who has heart disease.
Precautions You Should Take for H1N1?
Right now, there is still no evidence that the H1N1 flu is more dangerous than the "garden variety" flus that we see each year. But if you have heart disease, the garden variety flu is bad enough. Worse, as H1N1 is a very new strain of influenza, your chances of getting quite sick if you are exposed to it should be higher than with normal influenza. So you should take at least the same precautions you are supposed to take during any flu season.
One precaution you should take each year, of course, is to get your flu shot. Influenza vaccines usually eliminate the risk of dying if you have heart disease, and there is every reason to believe that the H1N1 flu shot will also reduce the risk of death. If you have heart disease, you should get the H1N1 flu shot as soon as possible. (Hence this year you should get two flu shots - one for H1N1, and one "regular" flu shot for the "normal" flu.)
And then you should take the typical precautions to avoid flu. Wash your hands frequently with either soap and water, or a hand sanitizer. And try to avoid contact with people who appear sick.
If the H1N1 flu comes to your area in a big way, you might want to somewhat restrict your outdoor activities, specifically, avoid large crowds when possible.
The practice of wearing face masks at the moment is being discouraged in the United States, with experts pointing out the fact that very little scientific evidence supports their effectiveness in preventing influenza. However, this author finds it noteworthy that healthcare workers in flu-affected areas are always wearing them, and wonders if the public disparaging of face masks may be part of the overall (albeit laudable) strategy to control panic. In any case, if you decide to wear a face mask, make sure it covers both your nose and your mouth, and that it creates a tight seal all the way around.
If You Get Sick
If you develop symptoms suggestive of the flu, call your doctor at once, even before you try any over-the-counter remedies (which may contain decongestants that people with heart disease should avoid). Inform your doctor that you have heart disease, and that if you have the flu you may benefit from one of the antiviral drugs like Tamiflu, which can reduce the seriousness of illness.
During your illness, you should also call your doctor if you develop difficulty in breathing, or if you do not improve after three or four days, or if you suddenly develop worsening symptoms (especially after beginning to get well).
It may be noted that all these precautions, of course, apply to any influenza, not just the H1N1 flu.
posted by Heart Scan @ 12:47 AM
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