Researchers from National Taiwan University Detail Findings in Influenza Vaccines (Effect of statin use on the risk of medically attended acute respiratory illness among influenza vaccinated elderly)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Vaccine Weekly -- Current study results on Immunization and Public Health - Influenza Vaccines have been published. According to news reporting out of Taipei, Taiwan, by NewsRx editors, research stated, "The immunomodulatory effects of statins may reduce the immune response induced by influenza vaccines. However, evidence regarding the effect of statin use on the effectiveness of seasonal influenza vaccines against medically attended acute respiratory illness (MAARI) in the elderly remains scarce."

Financial support for this research came from National Taiwan University Hospital (see also Immunization and Public Health - Influenza Vaccines).

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from National Taiwan University, "We conducted a retrospective cohort study using data from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Elderly adults aged >= 66 years who were vaccinated with seasonal influenza vaccines during the 2007-2008 to 2012-2013 influenza seasons were enrolled for this analysis. We compared the risk of MAARI between statin and non-statin users. Propensity score matching and conditional logistic regression models were used to analyze the data. A total of 440,180 elderly were included in this study. In general, the risk of MAARI was higher in statin users than non-statin users (odds ratio [OR]: 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02-1.05). Statin exposure after vaccination was associated with a higher risk of MAARI (OR: 1.05, 95% CI: 1.02-1.07). Among different statin agents, simvastatin and lovastatin use was associated with a significant increase in the risk of MAARI (ORsimvastatin: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.10-1.18; ORlovastatin: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.12-1.25). Statin exposure, especially simvastatin and lovastatin, was associated with a higher risk of MAARI in the seasonal influenza vaccinated elderly."

According to the news editors, the research concluded: "Future studies exploring the differences between individual statins and mechanisms of their immunomodulatory effects are necessary."

For more information on this research see: Effect of statin use on the risk of medically attended acute respiratory illness among influenza vaccinated elderly. Vaccine, 2018;36(41):6133-6137. Vaccine can be contacted at: Elsevier Sci Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, Oxon, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Vaccine - www.journals.elsevier.com/vaccine/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting H.T. Chiu, National Taiwan University, Coll Med, Sch Pharm, Grad Inst Clin Pharm, Taipei 10050, Taiwan. Additional authors for this research include L.J. Shen, Y.C. Chen, J.H. Lin and C.C. Wang.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.08.067. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

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