Effect of Influenza Vaccination for the Elderly on Hospitalization and Mortality
Authors: Michael L. Anderson, Carlos Dobkin, Devon Gorry
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2020)

Letters18 August 2020Effect of Influenza Vaccination for the Elderly on Hospitalization and MortalityMichael L. Anderson, PhD, Carlos Dobkin, PhD, and Devon Gorry, PhDMichael L. Anderson, PhDUniversity of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California (M.L.A.), Carlos Dobkin, PhDUniversity of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California (C.D.), and Devon Gorry, PhDClemson University, Clemson, South Carolina (D.G.)Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L20-0829 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:Dr. Donzelli states that our point estimates suggest that influenza vaccination exhibits negative effectiveness (harm) for our study population. Nevertheless, the CIs include the null effect (0). For any unbiased estimator of a true null effect, we would expect to find a point estimate indicating harm 50% of the time. As further evidence, Dr. Donzelli cites a meta-analysis that includes 6 RCTs of the influenza vaccine in patients at risk for CAD. He particularly focuses on 2 RCTs that enrolled outpatients without CAD. In his analysis, these 2 studies when pooled found that vaccination increased the risk for ...References1. Govaert TM, Thijs CT, Masurel N, et al. The efficacy of influenza vaccination in elderly individuals. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. JAMA. 1994;272:1661-1665. [PMID: 7966893] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar2. Becerra-Culqui TA, Sy LS, Ackerson BK, et al. Safety of quadrivalent meningococcal conjugate vaccine in infants and toddlers 2 to 23-months old. Vaccine. 2020;38:228-234. [PMID: 31648912] doi:10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.10.024 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. 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 Scholar4. DiazGranados CA, Dunning AJ, Kimmel M, et al. Efficacy of high-dose versus standard-dose influenza vaccine in older adults. N Engl J Med. 2014;371:635-645. [PMID: 25119609] doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1315727 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, California (M.L.A.)University of California, Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California (C.D.)Clemson University, Clemson, South Carolina (D.G.)Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M19-3075. 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 Alberto Donzelli Metrics Cited bySeroprevalence of influenza viruses in Shandong, Northern China during the COVID-19 pandemic 18 August 2020Volume 173, Issue 4Page: 322-323KeywordsDeath ratesDisclosureElderlyHospitalizationsMortalityOutpatientsVaccines ePublished: 18 August 2020 Issue Published: 18 August 2020 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2020 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...