If you are a woman who suffers from coronary artery disease, your doctor has probably recommended that you have the annual flu vaccine.
As it turns out, that flu vaccine jab can do more than just make it less likely that you will come down with the flu.
Now it appears as if the flu vaccine can help prevent the development of blood clots which can cause serious health issues, including pulmonary embolism and death.
It appears that the flu vaccine may help prevent a type of inflammation response in the body which may lead to the development of blood clots. While this is good news for all women, the benefits of the flu vaccine were greater for women who are aged 51 or younger.
Women aged 51 and younger who are taking birth control pills [side effects of birth control pills]or estrogen replacement therapy—both known to place women at higher risk for blood clots—can cut their risk of developing blood clots by more than half, just by getting their annual flu vaccine.
With heart disease remaining the number one cause of death for women, it makes sense to do all we can to lessen the likelihood of related illnesses [heart disease in women].
The American Heart Association recommends that patients with coronary artery disease take the flu vaccine via injection rather than opting for the nasal mist.
