Take a Stand Against Influenza: Focus on COPD Patients
World COPD Day
In patients with airway diseases such as COPD, the morbidity caused by respiratory virus infection is considerably greater.1
Impact of Influenza and COPD1
- In the USA, COPD is responsible for an estimated 1.4 million emergency department visits.1
- Almost 662,000 hospitalizations (1.9% of total hospitalizations).1
- 64% of the direct costs of COPD are accounted for by hospitalizations and emergency room visits.1
- Respiratory viruses are associated with 40%–60% of COPD exacerbations.1
Among patients with chronic lung disease 65 years or older, there were 23.8 due to influenza per 10,000 persons.1
Vaccination remains the most effective tool to decrease influenza-associated morbidity and mortality.2
Infectious Diseases Society of America
Objectives
Determine the seasonal influenza vaccine effectiveness (VE) against laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated hospitalizations among older adults with COPD.2
Study Design
A test-negative study of influenza VE in community-dwelling older adults with COPD in Ontario, Canada was conducted using health administrative data and respiratory specimens collected from patients tested for influenza during the 2010–11 to 2015–16 influenza seasons. Influenza vaccination was ascertained from physician and pharmacist billing claims. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the adjusted odds ratio of influenza vaccination in people with, compared to those without, laboratory-confirmed influenza.2
Among 21,748 persons over 6 influenza seasons, 22-43% reduced risk.
Influenza-associated hospitalization among older adults with physician-diagnosed COPD.2
CDC recommendations: People with asthma or COPD are at higher risk for serious problems from certain vaccine-preventable diseases. Getting vaccinated is an important step in staying healthy.3
References
- Mallia P, Johnston S. Influenza infection and COPD. International Journal of COPD. 2007; 2(1):55-64.
- Gershon A, Chung H, Porter J, et al. Influenza Vaccine Effectiveness in Preventing Hospitalizations in Older Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 2019;221(1):42-52.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 2021. CDC’s Vaccine Information for Adults with Lung Disease. [online] Available at: <https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/adults/rec-vac/health-conditions/lung-disease.html> [Accessed 31 August 2021].
