Ah-choo!
This time of year, you can practically feel the flu coming on as you shake hands with others, touch doorknobs in public places or come in contact with others who have been sick.
If you have diabetes, getting a flu shot is one important move you should make to avoid getting sick. Although a flu shot is important for just about everyone, there’s a reason why you should have one if you’re living with diabetes.
“Having diabetes can make it harder for your immune system to fight infection and illness in comparison with someone who does not have diabetes,” says registered dietitian and certified diabetes educator Meryl Krochmal of Royal Oak, Michigan, who is a contributor to Type2Diabetes.com.
[See: 8 Secrets of People Who Don’t Get Sick.]
If your body is having trouble fighting illness, you become more vulnerable to serious illnesses, including pneumonia, says Evan Sisson, a certified diabetes educator and an associate professor at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Pharmacy in Richmond.
In fact, if you have diabetes, you’re more likely to die from the flu, says Dr. Aaron Glatt, chairman of the Department of Medicine and chief, infectious diseases at South Nassau Communities Hospital in Oceanside, New York. People with diabetes are often at greater risk for heart and lung problems, and that’s why illnesses like pneumonia can turn deadly.
Yet not everyone who should get the flu shot actually gets it — among the general population, about 60 percent receive it. Sometimes, that percentage is even lower. “Some of the factors for not getting the vaccine include not having health insurance or not being able to find convenient access to a place that provides the flu vaccine,” Krochmal says.
You may also have hesitated to get a flu shot because you’ve heard it’s not effective. You may have a friend or family member who got the shot and then still developed the flu. It is true that the flu shot won’t protect you from all types of flu in a given flu season.
“Recent studies demonstrate that it reduces flu illness by 40 percent to 60 percent,” says Dr. Gregory Dodell, an assistant clinical professor of medicine, endocrinology, diabetes and bone disease at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai in New York. “It depends on how well circulating viruses are matched to the flu vaccine.” Still, the benefits of potential protection against the flu outweigh the risks, Dodell adds.
[See: 6 Tips to Keep Diabetics Out of the Hospital.]
Plus, getting the vaccine has been found to reduce flu-related hospitalizations among people with diabetes, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports.
It’s too early this year to judge how effective the flu vaccine is in fighting the flu, Sisson says. However, early information indicates this year will be a major flu season, Glatt says.
The best time to get a flu shot is as soon as it becomes available in the U.S., Glatt advises. That tends to be in September. If you miss that window, then aim for the end of October. Even if you miss that window of time, it’s still valuable to get the shot, as flu season tends to continue through January or even later, Krochmal says. Keep in mind that it takes two weeks after you get the flu vaccine for your body to build up antibodies to fight off the flu. If cost is a concern because you don’t have insurance, don’t despair. Check online for flu shot promotions in your area that may offer low-cost or free vaccines.
The flu shot does have some side effects, including soreness in the shot area, headache, fever, nausea and muscle aches, according to the CDC. Some people even feel like they’ve gotten the flu the day after getting the shot. However, do not worry — the vaccine can’t cause the flu, the CDC explains.
In addition to getting a flu shot, there are some other moves you can make to avoid getting sick:
Wash your hands regularly with soap and water. Make hand-washing part of your routine before you give yourself an injection, check your blood sugar and eat, Sisson advises.
Cough or sneeze into a tissue. Encourage others around you to do the same.
Don’t touch your eyes, nose and mouth when your hands are not clean, Dodell cautions. That’s an easy way to spread germs.
Disinfect surfaces that may have been contaminated. This can include your desk, kitchen counter and phones.
Get the pneumonia vaccine. In addition to the flu shot, the pneumonia vaccine is recommended for people over age 65 and for anyone who has diabetes. Again, this is because it’s easier to get sick when you have diabetes, and pneumonia can be a complication from the flu.
Plan to get a flu shot every year. That’s because flu viruses change from year to year and because our immune systems change over time as well.
[See: 10 Cold and Flu Myths Debunked.]
If you get the flu this season and you have diabetes, keep a closer watch of your blood sugar. Being sick can raise your blood glucose level, and that may require a change to your medication or insulin use. Of course, check with your health care provider before changing your medication use, Krochmal advises.
Drink plenty of fluids, catch up on the bad reruns on TV and rest, Sisson recommends. Avoid going to work or school where you could make others sick, Glatt cautions.
You should also contact your care provider, particularly if your blood sugar is much higher than usual. Plus, your provider may be able to prescribe antiviral medications; this type of medicine needs to be started within 48 hours to be effective. “Treatment with an antiviral may shorten the duration of symptoms and prevent complications such as pneumonia,” Dodell says.
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Why Getting a Flu Shot Is Especially Important for Diabetics originally appeared on usnews.com
