This paper is only available as a PDF. To read, Please Download here.
Abstract
purpose: Although concern about side effects constitutes a major deterrent to patient compliance
with recommendations for influenza vaccination, there is a paucity of data about the
frequency of adverse reactions to newer trivalent vaccines. Our aim was to determine
the frequency of adverse reactions to influenza vaccine in older, chronically ill
persons, many of whom are at high risk for influenza-related morbidity.
patients and methods: We conducted a telephone survey of 40% of the patients who were vaccinated at a
walk-in flu shot clinic. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups. To determine
postvaccine symptom rates, Group I was interviewed seven days after vaccination. Group
II was interviewed 21 days after vaccination in order to control for baseline symptom
rates. Both groups were queried about fever, disability, and flu-like illness in the
week preceding the interview.
results: Of 816 patients selected, 650 (79.6%) completed the interview. The mean age of the
subjects was 63, and more than two thirds were at risk for influenza-related morbidity.
The frequencies of self-reported fever (5.3% versus 5.1%, p = 0.91) and disability
(10.4% versus 9.3%, p = 0.65) were similar in the two groups. However, a significantly
higher proportion of Group I subjects reported a flu-like illness compared to the
Group II subjects (14.2% versus 8.7%, p = 0.03). Although Group I subjects were more
likely to report flu-like illness within two days of vaccination compared to a similar
time interval for Group II subjects, there was no corresponding clustering of disability
after vaccination.
conclusion: We conclude that the overall frequency of symptoms in both groups was low; however,
the absolute risk of a flu-like illness was 5.5% higher during the first week following
influenza vaccination when compared with the third week after the injection. These
symptoms did not result in a decreased ability to perform usual daily activities.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to The American Journal of MedicineAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- Prevention and control of influenza.MMWR. 1988; 37: 361-364
- Prevention and control of influenza.MMWR. 1988; 37: 369-373
- Impact of epidemic type A influenza in a defined adult population.Am J Epidemiol. 1980; 112: 798-811
- United States Immunization Survey, 1971–1978.Government Printing Office, 1978
- Influenza prevention and control: past practices and future prospects.Am J Med. 1987; 82: 42-47
- Influenza vaccination levels in selected states—Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1987.MMWR. 1989; 38: 124
- Influenza vaccination levels in selected states—Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 1987.MMWR. 1989; 38: 129-133
- Understanding and improving patient compliance.Ann Intern Med. 1984; 100: 258-268
- Developing and testing a decision model for predicting influenza vaccination compliance.Health Serv Res. 1986; 20: 897-932
- Influenza vaccination in the elderly: perceptions and policies of general practitioners and outcome of the 1985–1986 immunization programme in Trent, UK.Vaccine. 1987; 5: 302-306
- The relationship of attitude changes to compliance with influenza vaccination.Med Care. 1985; 23: 771-779
- Adult immunization: knowledge, attitudes and practices—DeKalb and Fulton Counties, Georgia, 1988.MMWR. 1988; 37: 657-664
- A new subunit influenza vaccine: acceptability compared with standard vaccines and effect of dose on antigenicity.J Infect Dis. 1972; 125: 656-664
- Studies with inactivated influenza vaccine purified by zonal centrifugation. I. Adverse reactions and serological responses.Bull WHO. 1969; 41: 525-530
- Summary of clinical trials of influenza vaccines.J Infect Dis. 1976; 134: 100-107
- Summary of clinical trials of inactivated influenza vaccine—1978.Rev Infect Dis. 1983; 5: 723-736
- Safety of influenza vaccinations in adults with asthma.Med J Aust. 1984; 140: 773-775
- Effects of killed and live attenuated influenza vaccine on symptoms and specific airway conductance in asthmatic and healthy subjects.Allergy. 1985; 40: 42-47
- Lack of exacerbations in adults with chronic asthma after immunization with killed influenza virus.Chest. 1986; 89: 786-789
- Subunit influenza vaccine in adults with asthma: effect on clinical state, airway reactivity, and antibody response.Br Med J. 1987; 294: 1196-1197
- Minnesota Department of Health Disease Control Newsletter. 1988; 14: 5-6
- Influenza: the continuing need and justification for immunization.Primary Care. 1977; 4: 761-779
Article Info
Publication History
Accepted:
September 7,
1989
Received:
May 1,
1989
Footnotes
☆This work was presented in part at the 11th Annual Meeting of the Society of General Internal Medicine, Arlington, Virginia, April 26, 1988, and was published in abstract form (Clin Res 1988; 36: 745A).
Identification
Copyright
© 1990 Published by Elsevier Inc.