Study: Heart failure hospitalizations increase during high flu season

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- A new study shows hospitalizations for heart failure increase when flu season is at its worst.

The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

For every 5-percent monthly increase in flu activity, researchers observed a 24-percent increase in hospitalization rates for heart failure.

On average, the study found as many as 1-in-5 heart failure hospital admissions appear to be triggered by the flu--during the months when influenza viruses are widely circulating