Influenza vaccine for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

• Published in: Cochrane database of systematic reviews 2006-01 (1), p.CD002733-CD002733
• Main Authors: Poole, P J, Chacko, E, Wood-Baker, R W B, Cates, C J
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Humans; Influenza Vaccines - adverse effects; Influenza Vaccines - therapeutic use; Influenza, Human - prevention & control; Lung Diseases, Obstructive - complications; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Vaccines, Attenuated - adverse effects; Vaccines, Attenuated - therapeutic use; Vaccines, Inactivated - adverse effects; Vaccines, Inactivated - therapeutic use
• ISSN: 1469-493X
• DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD002733.pub2

Influenza vaccinations are currently recommended in the care of people with COPD, but these recommendations are based largely on evidence from observational studies with very few randomised controlled trials (RCTs) reported. Influenza infection causes excess morbidity and mortality in COPD patients but there is also the potential for influenza vaccination to cause adverse effects or not to be cost effective. To evaluate the evidence from RCTs for a treatment effect of influenza vaccination in COPD subjects. Outcomes of interest were exacerbation rates, hospitalisations, mortality, lung function and adverse effects. We searched the Cochrane Airways Group Specialised Register of trials, and reference lists of articles. References were also provided by a number of drug companies we contacted. RCTs that compared live or inactivated virus vaccines with placebo, either alone or with another vaccine in persons with COPD. Studies of people with asthma were excluded. Two reviewers extracted data. All entries were double checked. Study authors and drug companies were contacted for missing information. Eleven trials were included but only six of these were specifically performed in COPD patients. The others were conducted on elderly and high-risk individuals, some of whom had chronic lung disease. Inactivated vaccine in COPD patients resulted in a significant reduction in the total number of exacerbations per vaccinated subject compared with those who received placebo (weighted mean difference (WMD) -0.37, 95% confidence interval -0.64 to -0.11, P = 0.006). This was due to the reduction in "late" exacerbations occurring after three or four weeks (WMD -0.39, 95% CI -0.61 to -0.18, P = 0.0004). In Howells 1961, the number of patients experiencing late exacerbations was also significantly less (odds ratio 0.13, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.45, P = 0.002). Both Howells 1961 and Wongsurakiat 2004 found that inactivated influenza vaccination reduced influenza -related respiratory infections (WMD 0.19, 95% CI 0.07 to 0.48, P = 0.0005). In both COPD patient and in elderly patients (only a minority of whom had COPD), there was a significant increase in the occurrence of local adverse reactions in vaccinees, but the effects were generally mild and transient. There was no evidence of an effect of intranasal live attenuated virus when this was added to inactivated intramuscular vaccination. The studies are too small to have detected any effect on mortality. An updated search conducted in Se