Greater risk to patients admitted with infection

PATIENTS admitted to hospital with respiratory or urinary tract infection are more likely to later suffer a life-threatening heart attack or stroke, says a study.

Experts from Aston Medical School in Birmingham, compared the data of 34,000 patients admitted to hospital with the infections with a group that was not infected.

They found those with prior infections were 40 per cent more likely to suffer a subsequent heart attack and 2.5 times more likely to have a stroke, than patients not infected. Lead author Dr Paul Carter said: “The sheer number of people who could be affected presents a challenge that needs further investigation.”

The findings will be presented to the American College of Cardiology in Florida this week.