 |
|
| Science Forum Index » Immunology Forum » Flu shots in the elderly .Do they work?... |
|
Page 1 of 1 |
|
| Author |
Message |
| bigvince... |
 Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 3:57 am |
|
|
|
Guest
|
Probably not.
Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Jul 19;3:CD004876.Click here to read
Substance (MeSH Keyword), Cited in PMC
Vaccines for preventing influenza in the elderly.
Rivetti D, Jefferson T, Thomas R, Rudin M, Rivetti A, Di Pietrantonj
C, Demicheli V.
Servizio di Igiene e Sanita' Pubblica, Public Health Department, ASL
19 Asti, C. so Dante 202, Asti, Italy 14100..........
BACKGROUND: Influenza vaccination of elderly individuals is
recommended worldwide and has been targeted toward the elderly and
those at serious risk of complications. OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to
review the evidence of efficacy, effectiveness and safety of influenza
vaccines in individuals aged 65 years or older.......
....SELECTION CRITERIA: We considered randomised, quasi-randomised,
cohort and case-control studies assessing efficacy against influenza
(laboratory-confirmed cases) or effectiveness against influenza-like
illness (ILI)...
......MAIN RESULTS: Sixty-four studies were included in the efficacy /
effectiveness assessment, resulting in 96 data sets. In homes for
elderly individuals (with good vaccine match and high viral
circulation) the effectiveness of vaccines against ILI was 23% (6% to
36%) and non-significant against influenza (RR 1.04: 95% CI 0.43 to
2.51)....
.........In elderly individuals living in the community, vaccines were
not significantly effective against influenza (RR 0.19; 95% CI 0.02 to
2.01), ILI (RR 1.05: 95% CI 0.58 to 1.89), or pneumonia (RR 0.88; 95%
CI 0.64 to 1.20). Well matched vaccines prevented hospital admission
for influenza and pneumonia (VE 26%; 12% to 38%) and all-cause
mortality (VE 42%; 24% to 55%).....
.......AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: In long-term care facilities, where
vaccination is most effective against complications, the aims of the
vaccination campaign are fulfilled, at least in part. However,
according to reliable evidence the usefulness of vaccines in the
community is modest. The apparent high effectiveness of the vaccines
in preventing death from all causes may reflect a baseline imbalance
in health status and other systematic differences in the two groups of
participants.
PMID: 16856068 [PubMed -
How does a flu shot that does not protect against the flu reduce the
complications of the flu?
'The apparent high effectiveness of the vaccines in preventing death
from all causes may reflect a baseline imbalance in health status and
other systematic differences in the two groups of participants.'
1: Lancet Infect Dis. 2007 Oct;7(10):658-66....
Mortality benefits of influenza vaccination in elderly people: an
ongoing controversy.
Simonsen L, Taylor RJ, Viboud C, Miller MA, Jackson LA.
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National
Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. iph... at (no spam) gwumc.edu
Influenza vaccination policy in most high-income countries attempts to
reduce the mortality burden of influenza by targeting people aged at
least 65 years for vaccination. However, the effectiveness of this
strategy is under debate........
........Recent excess mortality studies were unable to confirm a
decline in influenza-related mortality since 1980, even as vaccination
coverage increased from 15% to 65%. Paradoxically, whereas those
studies attribute about 5% of all winter deaths to influenza, many
cohort studies report a 50% reduction in the total risk of death in
winter--a benefit ten times greater than the estimated influenza
mortality burden. New studies, however, have shown substantial
unadjusted selection bias in previous cohort studies........
.....We conclude that frailty selection bias and use of non-specific
endpoints such as all-cause mortality have led cohort studies to
greatly exaggerate vaccine benefits. The remaining evidence base is
currently insufficient to indicate the magnitude of the mortality
benefit, if any, that elderly people derive from the vaccination
programme.
PMID: 17897608 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
|
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
The time now is Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:12 pm
|
|