For patients with heart failure, the flu is linked to higher in-hospital morbidity and mortality, a study published in JACC: Heart Failure found.
The researchers analyzed the 2013 to 2014 National Inpatient Sample database for adult patients admitted to hospitals with heart failure with and without concomitant influenza infection. They found 0.67 percent of the more than 8 million hospitalizations in heart failure patients involved a concomitant influenza infection.
The researchers found a higher incidence of in-hospital mortality, acute respiratory failure, acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, acute kidney injury and acute kidney injury requiring dialysis for heart failure patients with concomitant influenza. They also observed a longer mean length of stay for heart failure patients with the flu (5.9 versus 5.2 days).
"Influenza infection is associated with increased in-hospital morbidity and mortality in patients with [heart failure]," the researchers wrote. "Our results emphasize the need for efforts to mitigate the incidence of influenza, specifically in this high-risk patient cohort."