Effect of Influenza Vaccination for the Elderly on Hospitalization and Mortality
Authors: Alberto Donzelli
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2020)

Letters18 August 2020Effect of Influenza Vaccination for the Elderly on Hospitalization and MortalityAlberto Donzelli, MDAlberto Donzelli, MDFoundation Allineare Sanità e Salute, Milan, Italy (A.D.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L20-0828 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:I read Anderson and colleagues' article (1) with interest and propose that the effect of influenza vaccination could differ between elderly patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and others. The authors (1) used an innovative observational design that reduced the possibility of bias and confounding common in other observational studies. They found no evidence that vaccination reduced hospitalization or mortality in elderly persons, with estimates “precise enough to rule out results from many previous studies.”They concluded, “[O]ur results do not preclude modest effectiveness of the influenza vaccine against severe outcome in elderly persons. Therefore, continued vaccination ...References1. Anderson ML, Dobkin C, Gorry D. The effect of influenza vaccination for the elderly on hospitalization and mortality: an observational study with a regression discontinuity design. Ann Intern Med. 2020;172:445-452. [PMID: 32120383]. doi:10.7326/M19-3075 LinkGoogle Scholar2. Udell JA, Zawi R, Bhatt DL, et al. Association between influenza vaccination and cardiovascular outcomes in high-risk patients: a meta-analysis. JAMA. 2013;310:1711-1720. [PMID: 24150467] doi:10.1001/jama.2013.279206 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Donzelli A, Battaggia A. Il vaccino antinfluenzale non sembra apportare benefici in anziani senza malattie cardiovascolari. Revisione critica delle nuove prove da una metanalisi di studi clinici randomizzati controllati. Ricerca e Pratica. 2014;30:1-12. Google Scholar4. Allsup S, Haycox A, Regan M, et al. Is influenza vaccination cost effective for healthy people between ages 65 and 74 years? A randomised controlled trial. Vaccine. 2004;23:639-645. [PMID: 15542184] MedlineGoogle Scholar5. Clar C, Oseni Z, Flowers N, et al. Influenza vaccines for preventing cardiovascular disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2015:CD005050. [PMID: 25940444] doi:10.1002/14651858.CD005050.pub3 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Foundation Allineare Sanità e Salute, Milan, Italy (A.D.)Disclosures: The author has disclosed no conflicts of interest. The form can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=L20-0828. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoThe Effect of Influenza Vaccination for the Elderly on Hospitalization and Mortality Michael L. Anderson , Carlos Dobkin , and Devon Gorry Effect of Influenza Vaccination for the Elderly on Hospitalization and Mortality Michael L. Anderson , Carlos Dobkin , and Devon Gorry Metrics 18 August 2020Volume 173, Issue 4Page: 322KeywordsDisclosureElderlyHospitalizationsMortalityObservational studiesPneumoniaRisk ratioStable coronary artery diseaseVaccines ePublished: 18 August 2020 Issue Published: 18 August 2020 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2020 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...