Study: Infection Linked To Heart Attack, Stroke
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- A new study released by the University of Minnesota says infections like pneumonia increase the risk for heart attack and stroke over a shorter time frame than chronic illnesses.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, found infections like urinary tract infections and pneumonia increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes over a three-month time span.
Researchers found, that looking at a time period of 14 days after a hospitalized infection, the odds of a heart attack increased by 13-fold and the odds of a stroke was increased sixfold.
"The key to explaining the association between acute infections and the short-term increased risk of strokes and heart attacks is inflammation," senior author and associate professor Kamakshi Lakshminarayan said.
"Infection prevention is key -- so vaccination for influenza and pneumonia is important," Logan Cowan, School of Public Health Ph.D. student added.