
Vaccination Added to Pillars of Heart Disease Prevention
Beyond preventing complications of the target infectious diseases, 'vaccinations have profound effects on the CV [cardiovascular] risk and as such should be considered the fourth pillar of medical CV prevention besides antihypertensives, lipid-lowering drugs, and medications that treat diabetes,' the statement read.
The idea is not entirely new. In 2021, the society issued guidelines for heart failure that recommended flu and pneumococcal vaccinations to prevent hospitalizations from heart failure. In the 2023 guidelines on acute coronary syndromes from the American Heart Association (AHA) and American College of Cardiology (ACC), annual vaccination against flu was recommended for patients with a chronic coronary disease 'to reduce cardiovascular morbidity, cardiovascular death, and all-cause death.'
The new statement differs by reviewing the 'extent to which infectious diseases can trigger CV morbidity and mortality,' an area with an expanding amount of data to provide evidence-based recommendations, according to Thomas F. Lüscher, MD, one of the corresponding authors of the document.
In supporting vaccination as a major tenet of prevention, the statement provides 'more visibility and much more in-depth evidence than has been the case in the guidelines,' said Lüscher, who is the current president of the ESC and a consultant cardiologist at the hospital associated with King's College and the Imperial College in London, England.
Due to a substantial increase in research regarding a variety of vaccinations, such as those for SARS-CoV-2 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), the statement is timely, Lüscher said. So far, on the basis of 'reasonably solid evidence,' vaccinations for influenza, SARS-CoV-2, and pneumococcus can all be recommended for reducing the risk for CV events.
Citing several mechanisms by which infectious diseases contribute to CV risk, such as increased oxygen consumption by the myocardium and upregulation of inflammatory pathways, Lüscher and his coauthors predicted vaccinations for other infectious diseases are likely to join the list recommended for risk reduction when more evidence accrues. The ongoing registry-based randomized DAN-RSV trial now underway in Denmark aims to enroll 130,000 people and may provide evidence for RSV in particular, he and his colleagues stated.
Vaccines applied for general public health must show a favorable benefit-to-risk ratio to gain regulatory approval. For patients with comorbidities, the relative protection from an acute disease might be even greater, but the consensus statement makes clear people with coronary artery disease receive an additional health benefit from at least some of these vaccines through reduced CV risk.
Major complications from immunizations occur in fewer than 10 per 100,000 patients for approved vaccines and are generally controlled with prompt treatment, according to the ESC statement, citing multiple studies. Milder adverse events, such as injection site reactions or transient flu-like symptoms, are tolerable and, again, are outweighed by reducing the risk for CV events, the document stated.
Myocarditis has been reported as a rare reaction to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, but this complication appears to occur mainly in younger men, typically resolves spontaneously, and is rarely severe. In addition, the authors of the consensus statement noted the risk for myocarditis from untreated COVID-19 has been estimated to be sixfold higher than myocarditis related to vaccination.
According to the consensus statement, the strongest evidence for a CV benefit has been generated from trials with influenza and pneumococcal vaccines.
In the multicenter double-blind IAMI trial, for example, which randomly assigned patients after an acute myocardial infarction to influenza vaccine or placebo, immunization was associated with a 41% reduction ( P < .014) in the risk for CV death over 12 months of follow-up.
In a meta-analysis of studies evaluating the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine, protection was associated with a 10% reduction (95% CI, 0.84-0.99) for any CV event, including acute myocardial infarction, for patients aged 65 years or older.
Observational data support a CV benefit from the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, but the rationale is mostly supported by the evidence of protection from severe COVID-19 and long COVID, according to the consensus statement.
No comparable document from the AHA/ACC has so directly addressed the role of vaccinations in reducing CV risk, but an AHA spokesperson, Suzanne Grant, vice president for Media Relations & Issues Management (National), pointed out that the 2025 AHA/ACC guidelines for the management of acute coronary syndromes gave annual influenza vaccination a level 1A recommendation for the specific goal of reducing the risk for major CV events.
Other infectious diseases do not appear in those guidelines; however, the AHA spokesperson noted the evidence makes clear 'infections can trigger or worsen CV events in people with existing heart disease' and, so, supported the premise that vaccinations, at least for influenza, should be administered specifically for cardiac risk reduction.
Lüscher noted the ESC consensus statement is not a new set of guidelines but rather an intensive review of evidence to guide clinicians in regard to this area of risk management. The timing is based mainly on the growing accrual of new evidence, but Lüscher acknowledged a second rationale for surveying the evidence.
'Another aspect is the conspiracy theories on vaccination,' he said. 'Here, we provide solid evidence that vaccination is more than just prevention or reducing the severity of infection but, indeed, has long-term benefits.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Fox News
an hour ago
- Fox News
Three-person IVF technique shown to prevent inherited genetic diseases
An unconventional approach to reproduction is reportedly reducing the risk of metabolic disease. Three-person in vitro fertilization (IVF), a new concept developed by scientists in New Castle, U.K., has resulted in the births of eight healthy children. In the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, the researchers found that pathogenic variants in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are a "common cause" of severe — and often fatal — inherited metabolic disease. This DNA in the mother's mitochondria can cause "harmful mutations" in children, which can lead to diseases that affect tissues in the heart, brain and muscles, according to the journal Nature. At the Newcastle Fertility Centre, 22 women with pathogenic mtDNA variants underwent a "pronuclear transfer," in which they received a mitochondrial donation. This involved the transfer of the nucleus of a fertilized egg with "faulty mitochondria" into a donor egg cell with healthy mitochondria, Nature detailed. The result includes nuclear DNA from both the biological mother and father, as well as mitochondrial DNA from the separate egg donor. From this, eight children were born healthy, with no levels or low levels of mtDNA detected in their blood. The researchers noted that one child did develop hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol) and cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) — as the child's mother had hyperlipidemia during pregnancy — but both conditions responded to treatment. Another child developed infant myoclonic epilepsy — a rare type of epilepsy that typically affects infants between 6 months and 3 years old — which concluded in "spontaneous remission." "At the time of this report, all the children have made normal developmental progress," the researchers noted. Dr. Zev Williams, director of Columbia University Fertility Center in New York City, said this latest research "marks an important milestone." "Expanding the range of reproductive options … will empower more couples to pursue safe and healthy pregnancies," he said in an interview with Fox News Digital. In a press briefing, Robert McFarland, a pediatric neurologist at Newcastle University, who co-led one of the studies, reportedly noted the team's "cautious optimism" about the results. "To see babies born at the end of this is amazing, and to know there's not going to be mitochondrial disease at the end of that," he said. Fox News Digital reached out to the study researchers for comment.


Forbes
an hour ago
- Forbes
Turkey Legalizes Medical Cannabis Sales In Pharmacies
A technician inspects the leaves of cannabis plants growing inside a controlled environment in North ... More Macedonia. Photographer: Konstantinos Tsakalidis/Bloomberg Turkey has passed a landmark bill that legalizes the sale of cannabis products for medical use in pharmacies, marking a step forward in expanding patient access to such treatment. The Turkish Parliament this week approved a bill that allows the sale of cannabis-based products in pharmacies with a prescription. The bill, introduced by the Justice and Development Party (AK Party), led by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, published in the Official Gazette yesterday, regulates access to medical cannabis products that are non-intoxicating and low in THC, such as those containing CBD. It amended a number of laws, including the narcotics law and regulations related to pharmacies and shops that sell poisonous or effective chemical substances. These regulations reportedly aim to meet healthcare needs through domestic production, reduce dependence on imports, and prevent the use of unregistered products. The changes, therefore, are expected to boost the legal production of low-THC medical cannabis in Turkey. Under the new rules, the cultivation of medical cannabis will be supervised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, while processing, export, licensing, registration, and authorization for sale will fall under the oversight of the Ministry of Health. By amending the narcotics law, medical cannabis products will now be available through pharmacies. Furthermore, each product will be tracked from production or import all the way to patient use through a centralized tracking system designed to block counterfeit, smuggled, or unauthorized products from entering the legal market. The law limits medical cannabis sales to pharmacies in order to block access through unregulated retail and online markets, with the aim to protect public health and ensure product safety. Concerns Over Medical Cannabis Bill Before the bill became law, the Turkish Medical Association (TTB) criticized the proposed cannabis regulation, arguing that there is not enough scientific evidence to support the medical benefits of cannabis and warned that its widespread use could lead to serious physical and mental health risks. In December 2020, the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs (CND), the United Nations' drug policy-making body, reclassified cannabis and cannabis resin under an international category that acknowledges their medical value. The association also urged lawmakers to remove the cannabis-related measures from the bill, which has also faced criticism from members of some opposition parties. While the new law will allow people to purchase low-THC medical cannabis products from pharmacies, easing access for treatment, cannabis remains illegal in Turkey for recreational use. In 2016, legislation allowed the use of sublingual cannabinoid medications, such as Sativex, with a doctor's prescription. The new law, however, is expected to make it easier for medical cannabis patients to obtain cannabis products from pharmacies with a prescription. This reform is also viewed as a significant step toward supporting Turkey's entry into the cannabis-based product market and boosting its international competitiveness. Turkey is, in fact, not new to cannabis cultivation, particularly hemp, which is legal in several provinces for medical and scientific purposes. According to data from TurkStat, compiled by the state-run Anadolu news agency, Turkey's cannabis seed production surged about 70% year-on-year in 2024, reaching 556 tons, up from 273 tons in 2020. Turkey now joins other European countries where medical cannabis is legal, such as Italy and Germany, which, however, allow products with higher levels of THC. Ukraine has also recently legalized medical cannabis.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Tilray Medical Study Finds Oral THC:CBD Extract Offers Faster, Higher Bioavailability
Tilray Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY) is one of the best penny stocks under $1 to buy now. On June 26, Tilray Brands, through its medical division, Tilray Medical, published a new scientific study on the bioavailability of different cannabinoid formulations. This research, conducted on healthy volunteers, compared Tilray's oral THC:CBD extract with oromucosally administered nabiximols. A busy pharmaceutical lab with technicians developing hemp-derived CBD products. The findings show that Tilray's oral extract resulted in higher and faster concentrations of THC and CBD in the bloodstream. Tilray Brands Inc. (NASDAQ:TLRY) is a lifestyle consumer products company that researches, cultivates, processes, and distributes medical cannabis products in Canada, the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Latin America, and internationally. While we acknowledge the potential of TLRY as an investment, we believe certain AI stocks offer greater upside potential and carry less downside risk. If you're looking for an extremely undervalued AI stock that also stands to benefit significantly from Trump-era tariffs and the onshoring trend, see our free report on the . READ NEXT: and . Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey. Sign in to access your portfolio