TORONTO -- Adults who have been vaccinated against a common type of bacterial pneumonia appear to have a dramatically lower risk of having a heart attack than those not given the shot in the arm, Canadian researchers have found.
The study of about 5,000 patients at risk for a heart attack raises intriguing questions about the role of infection and inflammation on the cardiovascular system and offers another possible reason for getting vaccinated against pneumococcal pneumonia, the researchers suggest.
"We know that the pneumococcal vaccination can alter one of the complex mechanisms of atherosclerosis, one of the steps in the formation of atherosclerotic plaque," said principal investigator Dr. Danielle Pilon of the University of Sherbrooke. "So we wanted to see if this could be replicated in clinic.
"The hypothesis was that if the vaccination can alter one of the steps in atherosclerosis formation, perhaps it could decrease the risk of heart attack. And this is what we found."
Atherosclerosis is a disease in which plaque -- comprising fat, cholesterol, calcium and other substances in the blood -- builds up on the insides of the arteries. Over time, plaque hardens and clogs the arteries, which can lead to potentially fatal heart attacks or stroke.
Pilon, a specialist in internal medicine and clinical pharmacology, said vaccination was associated with a more than 50 per cent decrease in the rate of heart attack following inoculation.
-- The Canadian Press
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