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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Its the time of the year get your annual flu shot, and now it could protect you against another danger.
In a new study, researchers found receiving an influenza vaccine cut the risk of blood clots forming in veins -- venous thrombotic embolism (VTE) -- by 26 percent. VTE is a dangerous condition because if a clot were to break loose, it could travel through the blood stream and lodge in the heart, lungs or brain, causing potentially catastrophic damage.
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Not only did researchers find flu shots reduced VTE risk, but they saw the shots protective effects were more pronounced in patients younger than 52 years of age. Flu shots reduced VTE risk by 50 percent in women 51 years or younger. The risk dropped 59 percent for women taking oral contraceptives. The protective risk held true for other types of VTE, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
Researchers say the underlying mechanism between the influenza vaccine and VTE risk is not fully understood and more research will need to be conducted to explore this relationship.
SOURCE: Presented at the American Heart Associations Scientific Sessions 2008 in New Orleans, November 8-12, 2008.
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