An annual flu jab is a simple way of reducing the risk of stroke, according to a “compelling” new study. Researchers said they have found “yet another reason” for people to get their yearly flu shot after discovering participants were 12 per cent less likely to suffer a stroke if they'd had the jab.
Study author Dr Francisco de Abajo, of University of Alcalá in Madrid, Spain, said: “Studies have shown that getting the flu increases your risk of having a stroke, but research is still being collected on whether getting the flu vaccine can help protect against a stroke. This observational study suggests that those who have a flu shot have a lower risk of stroke.
"To determine whether this is due to a protective effect of the vaccine itself or to other factors, more research is needed.”
The team looked at ischemic strokes, the most common type of stroke, which is caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain. They studied a Spanish healthcare database looking at 14,322 over-40s who had a stroke, and 71,610 people of the same age who did not have a stroke.
Of this group, the team looked at whether people had received the flu vaccine at least 14 days before the stroke. More than two in five (41.4 per cent) of those who had a stroke had had a flu shot in those 14 days, compared to 40.5 per cent who did not have the illness.
However, those who got the shot were often older and living with other conditions such as high blood pressure and cholesterol which would increase their chances of stroke. Once the researchers adjusted for these factors, they discovered those who received a full shot were 12 percent less likely to have a stroke than the rest.
The team looked at the pneumonia vaccine too, but didn’t find any protective effects when it came to strokes. Dr de Abajo said: “These results are yet another reason for people to get their yearly flu shot, especially if they are at an increased risk of stroke. To be able to reduce your risk of stroke by taking such a simple action is very compelling.”
However, they noted that because the study was observational it does not prove getting the flu shot reduces stroke risk - it only shows an association, and there could be other factors at play affecting stroke risk. The findings were published in the journal Neurology.
