Asthma Patients Urged to Get Flu Vaccine
Vaccine can help avoid infection that worsens disease
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommends that people with asthma get the influenza vaccine because it helps them avoid a respiratory infection that can make their disease much worse. Yet, fewer than one in 10 asthma patients take this important preventive measure to protect their health. Physicians at National Jewish Medical and Research Center are hoping that more asthma patients will get the vaccine this year after research sponsored by the American Lung Association demonstrated that the vaccine is completely safe for asthma patients.
"Fall and winter are the worst seasons for many asthma patients because they develop respiratory infections that irritate their already sensitive airways," said Sally Wenzel, MD, pulmonologist and asthma expert at National Jewish. "While it is very difficult to avoid all respiratory infections, the flu vaccine can protect patients from one of the worst ones. Now that we have shown that the vaccine is completely safe asthma patients should have no reservations about getting the shots."
Dr. Wenzel is one of the principal investigators in the Asthma Clinical Research Centers (ACRC), a nationwide research network funded by the American Lung Association to answer research questions with practical answers that patients can use. The American Lung Association of Colorado has contributed $1.5 million to help Dr. Wenzel and the ACRC provide those answers.
The flu vaccine was a perfect question for ACRC. The flu vaccine offers an excellent tool for asthma patients to avoid a respiratory infection that can have a serious impact on their breathing, but few patients were taking advantage of it. Dr. Wenzel said that many asthma patients and physicians were concerned that the vaccine itself might cause a patient's asthma to flare up, especially in children.
So, the ACRC decided to find out for sure what effect the flu vaccine has on asthma in both children and adults. More than 2,000 asthma patients around the country received an injection of the vaccine and a placebo injection with a four week interval between injections. Following the injections, patients recorded a variety of health measures including breathing tests, medication use and symptoms thought to be related to the injections. The researchers found no difference in the reactions to the vaccine and the placebo. They published their results in the New England Journal of Medicine.
"We found that the vaccine is completely safe for people with asthma," said Dr. Wenzel. "We really hope that this will increase the number of asthma patients receiving the vaccine because it can provide real benefit for them."
In contrast to previous years, it appears that there will be no shortages of flu vaccine available this year. Health officials recommend getting flu vaccinations in October or November, the earlier the better for higher risk groups. Since the flu virus changes frequently, the flu vaccine is different every year. People should get a new vaccine every year to protect against the strains most likely to circulate. In addition to people with asthma, the CDC recommends than any patients with chronic lung or heart disease, people older than 65, healthy children 6 to 23 months of age, and pregnant women in the second or third trimester of pregnancy get a flu vaccine. This is not a complete list of people who should receive a vaccine. People should ask consult their physicians when deciding whether to get a flu vaccine this year.
The American Lung Association of Colorado is a volunteer-driven, nonprofit organization whose mission is to fight lung disease and promote lung health through education, research, and advocacy.
National Jewish is the only medical and research center in the U.S. devoted entirely to lung, allergic and immune diseases. Founded in 1899, this institution is devoted to research and clinical programs for both children and adults.
