Adults with asthma not getting their flu shots
June 22, 2009Because of increased risk of complications from influenza, vaccination of adults and children with asthma is recommended by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. The Healthy People 2010 Objectives call for annual influenza vaccination of at least 60% of adults aged 18-64 years with asthma. However, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) investigators have determined that the vaccination levels among asthma sufferers falls well short of this guideline. The results of their study are published in the August 2009 issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) has been in use since 1984 and collects state-specific data from random telephone surveys of US adults. This study analyzed the responses of 173,572 adults aged 18-64 years and found that 8.4% had asthma. In the 2006-2007 influenza season, vaccination estimates ranged from 26.9% in California to 53.3% in Tennessee with a median across all states of 43.1%.
Influenza vaccination coverage was 33.9% for adults aged 18-49 years with asthma compared to 54.7% for adults aged 50-64 years with asthma. Among people aged 18-64 years without asthma, vaccination coverage was 28.8%. In addition, the researchers found a race/ethnicity gap of 8 to 10 percentage points between levels among non-Hispanic whites compared to levels among non-Hispanic blacks or Hispanics, despite adjustments for a set of socio-demographic and access-to-care variables.
Lead investigator Peng-jun Lu, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, CDC, and co-investigators advise, "The National Asthma Education and Prevention Program identified influenza vaccination as one of several 'key clinical activities that should be considered as essential for quality asthma care.' The panel included influenza vaccination among the 'core set of 10 key clinical activities' to reducing asthma morbidity and mortality…. To further improve vaccination coverage among people with asthma, providers should address barriers to delivery and acceptance of influenza vaccination among those with high-risk conditions, including asthma. Providers should also be encouraged to use evidence-based immunization strategies (such as standing orders, patient reminder/recall, provider reminder, provider assessment and feedback); screen for asthma or other high-risk conditions; and routinely offer influenza vaccination."
More information: The article is "Influenza Vaccination Among Adults with Asthma: Findings from the 2007 BRFSS Survey" by Peng-jun Lu, MD, PhD, Gary L. Euler, DrPH, and David B. Callahan MD. It appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Volume 37, Issue 2 (August 2009) published by Elsevier.
Source: Elsevier Health Sciences
-
Flu shot not effective in preventing flu-related hospitalizations in asthmatic children
May 19, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study shows workplace benefits of influenza vaccination in 50-64 year olds
Jan 13, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Study finds increased risk of pneumococcal disease in asthma patients
Dec 19, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Medical societies: Adults need vaccines
Nov 19, 2008 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Aussie study links asthma to smoking
Sep 04, 2006 |
not rated yet |
0
-
Engineers build first sub-10-nm carbon nanotube transistor
Feb 01, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (32) |
30
-
Something old, something new: Evolution and the structural divergence of duplicate genes
Jan 31, 2012 |
4.6 / 5 (7) |
1
-
The hidden nanoworld of ice crystals: Revealing the dynamic behavior of quasi-liquid layers
Jan 30, 2012 |
5 / 5 (4) |
1
-
Stock market network reveals investor clustering
Jan 27, 2012 |
3.9 / 5 (23) |
8
-
Of microchemistry and molecules: Electronic microfluidic device synthesizes biocompatible probes
Jan 26, 2012 |
5 / 5 (2) |
0
-
Classical and Quantum Mechanics via Lie algebras
Apr 15, 2011
- More from Physics Forums - Independent Research
More news stories
Starve a virus, feed a cure? Findings show how some cells protect themselves against HIV
A protein that protects some of our immune cells from the most common and virulent form of HIV works by starving the virus of the molecular building blocks that it needs to replicate, according to research published online ...
1 hour ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
|
Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor
(AP) -- It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box.
3 hours ago |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
FDA-approved drug rapidly clears amyloid from the brain, reverses Alzheimer's symptoms in mice
Neuroscientists at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine have made a dramatic breakthrough in their efforts to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease. The researchers' findings, published in the journal Science, show t ...
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Feb 09, 2012 |
4.9 / 5 (55) |
21
|
Green tea found to reduce disability in the elderly
(Medical Xpress) -- A lot of research has been done over the past several years looking into the health benefits of green tea. As a result, scientists have found that regular consumption of the beverage leads ...
Teen school drop-outs three times as likely to be on benefits in later life
Teen school drop-outs are almost three times as likely to be on benefits in later life as their peers who complete their schooling, indicates research published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
Feb 06, 2012 |
not rated yet |
13
Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy
For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...
New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside
There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...
Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact
Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.
A mitosis mystery solved: How chromosomes align perfectly in a dividing cell
Although the process of mitotic cell division has been studied intensely for more than 50 years, Whitehead Institute researchers have only now solved the mystery of how cells correctly align their chromosomes during symmetric ...
Researchers find extensive RNA editing in human transcriptome
In a new study published online in Nature Biotechnology, researchers from BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, reported the evidence of extensive RNA editing in a human cell line by analysis of RNA-seq data, demons ...
The proteins ensuring genome protection
Researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, have discovered the crucial role of two proteins in developing a cell 'anti-enzyme shield'. This protection system, which operates at the level of molecular ...