November 27, 2001
Flu Shots Don't Trigger Asthma Attacks, National Study Reveals
INDIANAPOLIS - Influenza vaccines are safe for children and adults with
asthma, according to a study appearing in the Nov. 22 issue of the New
England Journal of Medicine.
The study, which took place in part at the Indiana University School
of Medicine, was conducted by the American Lung Association Asthma Clinical
Research Centers network. Its findings have important health implications,
because influenza causes substantial illness in both children and adults
with asthma.
The study proves that flu shots do not cause asthma attacks, noted
Indiana University School of Medicine researcher John G. Mastronarde,
M.D., whose work at the Asthma Clinical Research Center in Indianapolis
is supported by the ALA-Indiana.
"Unfortunately, only about 10 percent of people with asthma currently
get a flu shot, in part because they have been afraid it would adversely
affect their asthma," said Dr. Mastronarde, a clinical assistant
professor. "If everyone with asthma gets a flu shot this year, we
can potentially prevent millions of asthma attacks, many of which would
have been severe and resulted in hospitalizations."
And the time for the flu vaccine is now. "We urge children and adults
with asthma who haven't already received a flu shot this year to get one
right away," said Francis X. Kenny, ALA-Indiana's chief executive
officer.
"This study shows for the first time that the influenza vaccine
is safe to use for children and adults with asthma, regardless of the
severity of their asthma," said the study's lead author, Mario Castro,
M.D., M.P.H., principal
investigator for the Washington University/St. Louis American Lung Association
ACRC. "The flu vaccine is effective in preventing illness in 70-90
percent of cases."
Dr. Castro noted that in the past, some physicians have been concerned
about giving the flu shot to patients with severe asthma, or to children
with asthma. "We found that the flu vaccine was safe for both groups,"
he said. "The study found that people with asthma did not have any
higher rates of side effects for the 14 days after receiving the influenza
vaccine compared with those who received placebo, or inactive shot."
The study included 2,032 children and adults - 106 from Indiana - who
were diagnosed with asthma. Patients were randomly assigned to receive
the actual flu shot or a placebo injection that did not contain the flu
vaccine. The two groups switched mid-study so that all participants received
the real flu vaccine by the end of the study.
The study was conducted and funded by the American Lung Association,
which has 19 ACRC centers nationally, including Indiana. The study was
coordinated by the American Lung Association-American Thoracic Society/Merck
Asthma Clinical Research Data Coordinating Center at Johns Hopkins University
in Baltimore.
"This study demonstrated that the network was able to develop a
practical, large clinical trial to provide important information about
asthma that will benefit patients directly," Dr. Mastronarde said.
An estimated 26 million Americans (8.6 million under the age of 18)
have been diagnosed with asthma. Of these 26 million, 10.6 million (3.8
million children under 18) had an asthma attack or episode in the past
year.
More than 321,000 people in Indiana have asthma, including 92,600 under
18.More than 8 percent of Hoosiers have asthma; Indiana ranks 13th nationally
in reported asthma.
Over the past two decades, asthma deaths have risen dramatically. The
number of deaths attributed to asthma has increased by 109 percent, from
2,598 in 1979 to 5,438 in 1998.
Influenza can be very dangerous for people with asthma and other high-risk
conditions, including those with other lung ailments, as well as those
with heart and kidney disease. Hospitalization rates for such people increase
two- to five-fold during major flu epidemics.
The influenza virus is associated with serious illness and even death.
During influenza outbreaks, pneumonia cases tend to increase and a high
rate of influenza hospitalizations occur. Annually, influenza accounts
for 70 million lost working days and 346 million days of restricted activity.
"It is especially important to get a flu shot this year because
of concerns
about bioterrorism," Dr. Mastronarde said. "Most of the potential
infections,
such as anthrax, begin with symptoms of the flu."
Viral respiratory infections, such as influenza, may cause asthma
episodes in people of all ages. Viral infections are believed to be the
cause of about 85 percent of asthma episodes in children. In addition,
influenza infection often renders people with asthma more susceptible
to constriction of the airways and persistent decline in lung function.
Indiana's Asthma Clinical Research Center, awarded to the Indiana University
School of Medicine by the ALA-Indiana, is located at the National Institute
for Fitness for Fitness and Sport on the Indiana University-Purdue University
Indianapolis campus.
For more information about asthma, influenza, lung centers, call the American Lung Association of Indiana at 800-586-4872, or visit its Web site at www.lungin.org.
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Media Contacts: Joe Stuteville
IU School of Medicine
317-274-7722
317-212-1275 (pager)
jstutevi@iupui.edu
Carol Landis
American Lung
Association-Indiana
317-573-3900, ext. 230
317-372-8444 (cell)
clandis@lungin.org
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