Catching the flu raises your risk of having a heart attack by 17 times, new research from scientists suggests.
Those who suffer a bout of the virus or other serious respiratory infection like bronchitis or pneumonia have a much higher risk of cardiac arrest for one week following the illness.
The risk is still higher than average for a month after the infection, researchers in Australia found.
The new insight comes from a study of more than 500 heart attack patients at a hospital in Sydney during the winter. More than a fifth had suffered a serious infection in the past month and 17 per cent in the past week.
Head researcher Professor Geoffrey Tofler, from the University of Sydney, said: “The data showed that the increased risk of a heart attack isn't necessarily just at the beginning of respiratory symptoms, it peaks in the first seven days and gradually reduces but remains elevated for one month.”
Milder upper respiratory tract infections, like strep throat and sinusitis, also raised the heart attack risk by 13 times.
