Flu Can Increase Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke in Older Patients

Flu Can Increase Risk of Heart Attack and Stroke in Older Patients

The risk of atherothrombotic events in patients aged 50 and older care more than double in the 14 days following an influenza diagnosis, according to research presented in The Journal of Infectious Diseases. For those with severe cases, the risk of acute myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke increased more than 4-fold and remained high for 2 months following the flu event. Authors examined the link between influenza illness diagnosed in the primary care and hospital settings …

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ACE Inhibitors Show Less Protection Against Stroke Mortality

ACE Inhibitors Show Less Protection Against Stroke Mortality

In a study presented in JAMA Network Open, researchers sought to determine the difference in the long-term risk of mortality and morbidity outcomes for adults with hypertension taking a thiazide-type diuretic, calcium channel blocker (CCB), or angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. Their secondary analysis found that mortality due to cardiovascular disease was similar among patients, regardless of which treatment was used. However, compared with the diuretic group, the ACE inhibitor group had a 19% increased risk …

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