Pneumococcal Vaccination for Africans with Heart Failure

Heart failure is a chronic progressive disease syndrome associated with acute exacerbations leading to progressive deterioration. Africans have been shown to have excess morbidity and mortality from heart failure and are also associated with worse comorbidity profiles compared with Caucasians. Acute exacerbations are often due to precipitants, many of which are related to infectious diseases. Among the commonest causes of exacerbations are respiratory infections, the majority of which are due to streptococcal pneumonia. The highest burden of acute exacerbation related to chest infections presupposes that appropriate vaccinations against common pathogenic etiology may be a potential target in improving heart failure care, preventing rehospitalization, and improving quality of life among Africans with heart failure. This could also serve as a cost-effective intervention to improve clinical outcomes in heart failure management. This review highlights the contribution of the pneumococcal organism as a major contributor to respiratory infections in Africans with heart failure and the potential evidence of vaccinations for cardioprotection.