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The following is a summary of “Excess Mortality and Hospitalizations Associated With Seasonal Influenza in Patients With Heart Failure,” published in the December 2024 issue of Cardiology by Modin et al.      

Influenza virus can cause severe illness in individuals living with heart failure (HF), leading to increased morbidity and mortality.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to estimate the excess deaths and hospitalizations associated with influenza in people with HF.  

They analyzed nationwide data on deaths and hospitalizations in people with HF annual mean of 70,570 and correlated with weekly influenza circulation estimates. A linear regression model accounted for temperature, seasonality, and trends.  

The results showed influenza activity was associated with an annual excess of 250 all-cause deaths (95% CI: 144-489 deaths), which accounted for 2.6% of all all-cause deaths (95% CI: 1.5%-5.1%) in people with HF. Similarly, influenza activity was linked to an annual excess of 115 cardiovascular deaths (95% CI: 62-244 deaths), representing 2.9% of all cardiovascular deaths (95% CI: 1.5%-6.1%). Influenza was also associated with an annual excess of 251 hospitalizations for pneumonia or influenza (95% CI: 107-533 hospitalizations), corresponding to 5.0% of all hospitalizations for pneumonia or influenza. Data were available from 2010 to 2018, encompassing 8 influenza seasons, with an annual mean of 25,180 samples tested for influenza at Danish hospitals.  

They concluded that influenza activity likely contributed to significant morbidity and mortality, with about 2.6% of all deaths and 5.0% of hospitalizations for pneumonia or influenza attributable to it in patients with HF.  

Source: jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2024.08.048