Researchers Uncover How Severe Flu Damages the Heart, Explaining Annual Increase in Heart Attacks During Epidemic Peaks
The Enigma of Seasonal Heart Attacks
Philippe Swirski, director of the study at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York, explained in a statement that studies have shown for years that the frequency of heart attacks increases during flu season, but they were unaware of the underlying biological mechanisms behind this phenomenon.
The "Trojan Horse" Mechanism
By analyzing tissue samples from patients who died from the flu, researchers discovered that a type of immune cell is infected in the lungs before migrating to the heart. Instead of fulfilling their usual defensive role of eliminating the virus, these infected cells produce large amounts of a protein called type 1 interferon. This substance causes direct damage to cardiac muscle cells, weakening the heart.
Jeffrey Downey, co-author of the study, notes: "These cells act as a real 'Trojan horse' for the immune system. The infection starts in the lungs, but the cells carry and spread the virus to the heart, directly affecting the myocardium."
Vaccination as a Shield
The study, published in the medical journal Immunity, highlights that flu vaccination offers significant protection against this type of damage. According to Downey, laboratory tests have shown that an mRNA vaccine - capable of regulating type 1 interferon activity - reduces flu-related cardiac damage and improves the heart's pumping capacity (tests conducted in vitro and on mice). For Philippe Swirski, these results pave the way for the development of new preventive treatments, as no effective therapeutic option currently exists to protect the heart from flu complications.
The discovery of this mechanism and the potential of vaccination to prevent cardiac damage during flu season may have significant implications for public health, particularly for individuals at high risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular complications.
