Tuesday, 19 March 2024    HomeAbout UsContact Us    









You are here: Home Articles


Flu Vaccine Does Not Reduce Risk of Community-Acquired Pneumonia
Posted by vaccinesme, in Articles
Topics: Pneumonia Flu Vaccine

  Mail To Friend    Printer Friendly Bookmark and Share

The US government alleges that 36,000 people die from flu each year. That's not entirely true. That's because they include in this figure, the deaths from pneumonia which are around 35,000. So less than 1,000 people actually die from flu annually. On this basis, how effective is the flu vaccine in preventing death from pneumonia?

Jackson ML, Nelson JC, Weiss NS, Neuzil KM, Barlow W, Jackson LA. Group health Center for health Studies, Seattle, WA 98101-1448, USA. Influenza vaccination and risk of community-acquired pneumonia in immunocompetent elderly people: a population-based, nested case-control study. Lancet. 2008 Aug 2;372(9636):398-405.

BACKGROUND: pneumonia is a common complication of influenza infection in elderly individuals and could therefore potentially be prevented by influenza vaccination. In studies with data from administrative sources, vaccinated elderly people had a reduced risk of admission for pneumonia compared with unvaccinated seniors; however, these findings could have been biased by underlying differences in health between the groups. Furthermore, since most individuals with pneumonia are not treated in hospital, such studies should include both outpatient and inpatient events. We therefore assessed whether influenza vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of community-acquired pneumonia in immunocompetent elderly people after controlling for health status indicators. METHODS: We did a population-based, nested case-control study in immunocompetent elderly people aged 65-94 years (cases and controls) enrolled in Group health (a health maintenance organisation) during the 2000, 2001, and 2002 preinfluenza periods and influenza seasons. Cases were individuals with an episode of outpatient or inpatient community-acquired pneumonia (validated by review of medical records or chest radiograph reports). We randomly selected two age-matched and sex-matched controls for each case. The exposure of interest was influenza vaccination. We reviewed medical records to define potential confounders, including smoking history, presence and severity of lung and heart disease, and frailty indicators. FINDINGS: 1173 cases and 2346 controls were included in the study. After we adjusted for the presence and severity of comorbidities, as defined by chart review, influenza vaccination was not associated with a reduced risk of community-acquired pneumonia (odds ratio 0.92, 95% CI 0.77-1.10) during the influenza season. INTERPRETATION: The effect of influenza vaccination on the risk of pneumonia in elderly people during influenza seasons might be less than previously estimated. FUNDING: Group health Center for health Studies internal funds and Group health Community Foundation fellowship grant.


Link to this article:   Show: HTML LinkFull LinkShort Link
Share or Bookmark this page: You will need to have an account with the selected service in order to post links or bookmark this page.

                 
  
Subscribe via RSS or email:
Follow us through RSS or email. Click the RSS icon to subscribe to our feed.

     
  

Related Articles:
Add a Comment
You must be registered and logged in to comment.







Topics
Basics
Vaccines
Nutrition
Articles
News

Latest Articles
WHO: Polio Outbreak in Philippines Caused by Vaccine
Effective or Ineffective: Attribute Framing and the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine
CNS Demyelination and Quadrivalent HPV Vaccination
Pertussis Infection in Fully Vaccinated Children in Day-Care Centers, Israel
Chemoprevention Trial of Human Hepatitis With Selenium Supplementation in China
Protective Role of Selenium Against Hepatitis B Virus and Primary Liver Cancer in Qidong
An Increase in Selenium Intake Improves Immune Function and Poliovirus Handling in Adults With Marginal Selenium Status
Nutritional and Food Protection Against Epidemic Emerging Neuropathy. Epidemiological Findings in the Unique Disease-Free Urban Area of Cuba
Diphtheria-Tetanus-Pertussis Vaccine Administered Simultaneously With Measles Vaccine Is Associated With Increased Morbidity and Poor Growth in Girls
Children Vaccinated With MMR and Higher Risk of Multiple Sclerosis

Pages
No pages found.

Most Popular
Antibody Response To Vaccine Does Not Equal Immunity or Protection
Protective Effect of Childhood Measles Against Degenerative Diseases in Later Life
What Is Vaccine Failure?
Measles Outbreak in Previously Immunized Children, Florida, US
Discontinuation of BCG Vaccine in Japan Leads To Significant Drop in Type 2 Diabetes
The Myth Of Vaccines Causing 20th Century Mortality Decline: Excellent Paper by Mckinlay and Mckinlay
Explosive School-Based Measles Outbreak in Vaccinated Students - Finland
BCG (Tuberculosis) Vaccine Induced Inflammation Linked to Type 2 Diabetes Epidemic
Explaining the Reemergence of Pertussis in Vaccinated Populations
Court Rules MMR Vaccine Caused Ben Zeller's Brain Damage: July 2008

Archives (View more)
2019 • November
2011 • December
2011 • October
2010 • February
2009 • June
2009 • May
2009 • April
2009 • March
2009 • February
2009 • January


Copyright © 2024 . All rights reserved. RSSTagsPrivacyLegal and Terms of UseSitemap