Significantly lower rates of admission for stroke, heart failure, pneumonia/influenza, all-cause-death
WEDNESDAY, July 27, 2016 (HealthDay News) — The seasonal influenza vaccine may significantly reduce mortality for patients with type 2 diabetes, as well as hospitalizations for stroke and cardiovascular and pulmonary issues, according to a study published online July 25 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Eszter Vamos, M.D., Ph.D., from Imperial College London, and colleagues examined data for 124,503 adults with type 2 diabetes. Outcome measures included mortality as well as admission to hospital for acute myocardial infarction, stroke, heart failure, or pneumonia/influenza.
During the seven-year study, the researchers found that flu vaccination was associated with significantly lower admission rates for stroke (incidence rate ratio [IRR], 0.70; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.91), heart failure (IRR, 0.78; 95 percent CI, 0.65 to 0.92), and pneumonia or influenza (IRR, 0.85; 95 percent CI, 0.74 to 0.99) during influenza seasons. All-cause death was also significantly reduced (IRR, 0.76; 95 percent CI, 0.65 to 0.83). A nonsignificant change in flu-season hospital admissions for acute myocardial infarction was noted (IRR, 0.81; 95 percent CI, 0.62 to 1.04).
“This study has shown that people with type 2 diabetes may derive substantial benefits from current vaccines, including protection against hospital admission for some major cardiovascular outcomes,” the authors write. “These findings underline the importance of influenza vaccination as part of comprehensive secondary prevention in this high-risk population.”
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