EUROPEAN SOCIETY OF CARDIOLOGY
Heart failure patients who are vaccinated against COVID-19 have an 82% greater likelihood of living longer than those who are not vaccinated, according to research presented today at Heart Failure 2024, a scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 Heart Failure is a life-threatening syndrome affecting more than 64 million people worldwide.2
“Patients with heart failure should be vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect their health,” said study author Dr. Kyeong-Hyeon Chun of the National Health Insurance Service Ilsan Hospital, Goyang, Republic of Korea. “In this large study of patients with heart failure, COVID-19 vaccination was associated with a lower likelihood of contracting the infection, being admitted to hospital because of heart failure, or dying from any cause during a six-month period compared with remaining unvaccinated.”
Previous studies have shown the safety of COVID-19 vaccination in patients with cardiovascular diseases including heart failure,3-5 and that COVID-19 outcomes are worse in patients with heart failure compared to those without heart failure.6 However, there has been little research on how vaccines work specifically in patients with heart failure. This nationwide, retrospective study examined the prognosis of heart failure patients according to COVID-19 vaccination status.