Overview
- An analysis in the Journal of the American Heart Association pooled 155 studies from 1997–2024 selected out of more than 52,000 screened by a UCLA-led team.
- Laboratory-confirmed influenza was associated with roughly a fourfold rise in heart attack and a fivefold rise in stroke during the first month after infection.
- SARS‑CoV‑2 infection was linked to about a threefold increase in heart attack and stroke risk in the early weeks, with some studies reporting elevated risk lasting up to a year.
- Chronic infections showed smaller but persistent associations with cardiovascular events, including higher risks in people with HIV, hepatitis C and shingles.
- Authors recommend prevention strategies such as vaccination and timely antivirals, citing prior evidence of a 34% lower rate of major cardiovascular events after flu vaccination, while noting the observational nature of the data and research gaps for other viruses.