SELECTED ARTICLES FROM THE RECENT LITERATURE 2005
12/5/05
Corticosteroid treatment effects in immune responses to Flu vaccine
Summary
Background - Concerns have been raised that individuals treated chronically with systemic corticosteroids (CS) may have decreased immune responses to influenza (Flu) immunization.
Findings - De Roux et al of the Emil von Behring Clinic in Berlin, Germany compared immune responses to an MF 59-adjuvanted Flu vaccine in older individuals with COPD currently treated with either a) oral CS - >10 mg prednisolone/day; b) inhaled CS; c) no CS. Overall, protective anti- Flu antibody responses occurred in 64 -93% of all the subjects following this Flu immunization. They found no significant differences among these 3 patient groups in either the frequency of anti-Flu sero conversion, the mean anti-Flu antibody titers, or the sero protection rates.
Reference
Vaccine 2005; Oct 19 E pub
Editor's Comments
I have reviewed this report because individuals with steroid-dependent severe asthma are at increased risk for complicated/severe Flu infection. Therefore, it is very important that such asthmatics made a good, protective antibody response to Flu immunization. The findings described above are reassuring in that regard, although it should be noted that protective anti-Flu antibody levels were not manifested in a sizable minority of these older subjects.
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