A new study presented at the Heart Failure 2024 congress of the European Society of Cardiology showed that patients with heart failure who have received vaccination against Covid-19 have an 82 percent higher chance of living longer compared to those who have not received the vaccine.
The researchers, using data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, investigated the relationship between vaccination and clinical outcomes in patients with heart failure. Patients who received two or more doses of the Covid-19 vaccine were "vaccinated," while those who were not vaccinated or received only one dose were considered "unvaccinated."
Heart failure is a syndrome that can be deadly, estimated to be affecting over 64 million people across the world. Dr. Kyeong-Hyeon Chun of the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital in the Republic of Korea, who led the study, said, "In this very large cohort of heart failure patients, Covid-19 vaccination was associated with protection against infection, heart failure hospitalization, or all-cause mortality for six months compared to no vaccination."
There were a total of 651,127 patients with heart failure aged 18 years or older, and the average age was 69.5 years, with an equal sex distribution. Of the patients, 538,434 were considered vaccinated, representing 83 percent, while the remaining 112,693 represented 17 percent.
The data analysis showed that vaccination was associated with an 82 percent reduction in all-cause mortality risk, a 47 percent decrease in the risk for heart failure hospitalization, and a 13 percent reduction in the risk for Covid-19 infection compared to no vaccination.
Regarding cardiovascular complications, vaccination did show a significant reduction in the risks of stroke, heart attack, myocarditis/pericarditis, and venous thromboembolism compared to non-vaccination, the researchers noted.
Dr. Chun highlighted the importance of the findings, stating, "The evidence provided by this study strongly advocates for vaccination among individuals grappling with heart failure. Nonetheless, it is important to consider that although vaccination seems to be beneficial for many heart failure patients, unstable ones weigh the risks involved in vaccination."
Read also | Addressing India's Growing Infertility Concerns Amidst Escalating STD Cases
