Published ahead of print on December 4, 2003, doi:10.1164/rccm.200309-1251OC
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 169. pp. 488-493, (2004)
© 2004 American Thoracic Society
Influenza Vaccination in Children with Asthma
Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-controlled Trial
Herman J. Bueving,
Roos M. D. Bernsen,
Johan C. de Jongste,
Lisette W. A. van Suijlekom-Smit,
Guus F. Rimmelzwaan,
Albert D. M. E. Osterhaus,
Maureen P. M. H. Rutten-van Mölken,
Siep Thomas and
Johannes C. van der Wouden
Department of General Practice; Department of Pediatrics, Subdivision of Pediatric Respiratory Medicine; Department of Virology; and Institute for Medical Technology Assessment, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to Johannes C. van der Wouden, Ph.D., Department of General Practice, Room Ff305, Erasmus MC-University Medical Center Rotterdam, P.O. Box 1738, 3000 DR Rotterdam, the Netherlands. E-mail: j.vanderwouden{at}erasmusmc.nl
There is little evidence that influenza vaccination reduces asthma exacerbations. We determined whether influenza vaccination is more effective than placebo in 618-year-old children with asthma. We performed a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Parenteral vaccination with inactivated influenza vaccine or placebo took place approximately November 1, and children were followed until April 1 of the next year. Airway symptoms were reported in a diary. When symptom scores reached a predefined level, a pharyngeal swab was taken. Primary outcome was the number of asthma exacerbations associated with virologically proven influenza infection. Three hundred forty-nine children were assigned placebo, and 347 were assigned vaccine. Pharyngeal swabs positive for influenza were related to 42 asthma exacerbations, 24 in the vaccine group and 18 in the placebo group, a difference of 33% favoring placebo (31% after adjustment for confounders; 95% confidence interval, -34% to 161%). Influenza-related asthma exacerbations were of similar severity in both groups; they lasted 3.1 days shorter in the vaccine group (95% confidence interval, -6.2 to 0.002 days, p = 0.06). We conclude that influenza vaccination did not result in a significant reduction of the number, severity, or duration of asthma exacerbations caused by influenza. Additional studies are warranted to justify routine influenza vaccination of children with asthma.
Key Words: influenza vaccination asthma children
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