[ExI] There's already a vaccine for heart disease!

[BillK]

On Mon, 22 Dec 2025 at 15:07, Jason Resch via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> This is the problem with retrospective studies. They don't consider or
> don't properly account for any number of confounding factors, such as the
> healthy vaccine effect, the compliers effect, or the fact that people near
> death often aren't given vaccines.
>
> We know that last year's flu vaccine had negative efficacy (those who
> received it were more 26.9% likely to get the flu), so by what proposed
> biological mechanism could such an injection explain a reduction in heart
> disease? To me the most plausible answer is that it is a combination of one
> or more confounding factors, and it is premature to conclude the
> flu vaccine actually confers any reduction to heart disease.
>
> This becomes more clear when you look at all causes of mortality, and you
> will likely see a reduction in cancer deaths, automobile deaths, Alzheimer
> deaths, etc. and it will seem like you have found a miracle medicine that
> is suitable for every disease and ailment known to man. But it is an
> illusion of the biases inherent to observational studies that lack
> randomized controls.
>
> Jason
>
>> _______________________________________________



I think what the article is saying is that for patients who already have
weak cardiovascular conditions, then it is not 'just the flu'. The strain
of the flu and the inflammation response can push these already weak
patients over the edge.
A doctor once said "If you can walk into my surgery, then you haven't got
flu. You've got a bad cold." Flu will usually cause a few days (at least)
in bed.
BillK

>From the article -

The evidence is compelling. A study in 2018 found that the risk of a heart
attack jumps sixfold in the week after a confirmed flu infection1
<https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03598-0?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=82ce72787e-nature-briefing-daily-20251218&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-33f35e09ea-50169436#ref-CR1>.
Another study, involving more than 80,000 adults hospitalized with
influenza, found that nearly one in eight experienced an acute
cardiovascular event2
<https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-03598-0?utm_source=Live+Audience&utm_campaign=82ce72787e-nature-briefing-daily-20251218&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-33f35e09ea-50169436#ref-CR2>
.

The connection between influenza and a host of cardiovascular conditions is
not a surprise. Scientists have long known that the virus affects more than
the respiratory tract. It triggers a powerful inflammatory response,
sending the immune system into overdrive. This response can activate blood
platelets, increasing the risk of blood-clot formation. Fever elevates
heart rate and energy demands, and dehydration adds further strain. The
result is a physiological storm that can tip vulnerable people — especially
those with underlying cardiovascular disease — into crisis.

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