According to a recent study, having the flu appears to increase the risk of having a heart attack, especially among those who are 65 and older. The study released this month says that someone diagnosed with influenza is six times more likely to have a heart attack during the week after being diagnosed, compared to a year before or after the infection.

When you have influenza or any type of infection, your body has to work a little bit harder, heart has to work harder to get blood everywhere." explained Medical Health Officer Dr. Mark Vooght. "The demand for oxygen for the body out strips the heart's ability to supply oxygenated blood to the heart itself."

They also found that there was an increased risk with other respiratory viruses as well, including Respiratory Syncytial Virus,the cold-causing Adenoviruses and Rhinoviruses.