Pneumococcal Vaccination as Cardiovascular and Cardiorespiratory Prevention in Adults with Heart Disease

Background/Objectives: Streptococcus pneumoniae is a major cause of community-acquired pneumonia and invasive pneumococcal disease, particularly in older adults and people with cardiovascular disease. Pneumococcal infection may precipitate heart failure, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, stroke, functional decline, hospitalization, and death. This review examines pneumococcal disease as a cardiovascular stressor, the effectiveness of adult pneumococcal vaccination, and the comparative clinical relevance of higher-valency conjugate vaccines.

Methods

We conducted a narrative review of randomized trials, phase 3 immunogenicity and safety studies, real-world effectiveness analyses, observational cardiovascular cohorts, meta-analyses, epidemiological surveillance reports, regulatory documents, and current European, U.S., and Spanish recommendations.