Could a Flu Shot Lower the Risk of Pneumonia?

The risk of acquiring influenza-related pneumonia is significantly less in patients who receive the seasonal flu vaccine, according to a recent study.

While pneumonia is a common and serious complication of influenza, few studies have examined the effects of the influenza vaccine on the risk of developing pneumonia.
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To further assess this relationship, researchers conducted a prospective observational multicernter study of 2767 patients hospitalized for pneumonia between 2010 and 2012.

Of the 2767 patients, 162 had lab-confirmed influenza.

Overall, 17% of those with lab-confirmed flu-associated pneumonia had been vaccinated, while 29% of patients with flu-negative pneumonia had been vaccinated. The adjusted odds ratio of prior influenza vaccination between flu-associated and flu-negative pneumonia was 0.43.

“Among children and adults hospitalized with community-acquired pneumonia, those with laboratory-confirmed influenza-associated pneumonia, compared with those with pneumonia not associated with influenza, had lower odds of having received influenza vaccination,” they concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Grijalva CG, Zhu Y, Williams DJ, et al. Association between hospitalization with community-acquired laboratory-confirmed influenza pneumonia and prior receipt of influenza vaccination. JAMA. October 5, 2015 [epub ahead of print]. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.12160.