In the U.S., more than 40% of over 65 year olds use starting to control their cholesterol level. According to two new studies, however, the use of statins decreases the effect of flu vaccines. The findings of these studies were published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that everyone have a shot of the vaccine against flu every season from the age of 6 months. A high-dose of this vaccine is one of several standard-dose vaccines approved for adults over 65 in the US. Seniors are at a higher risk for serious illness and complications from flu which can sometimes lead to death.
However, a new report reveals that many senior statin users had n extremely reduced immune response to the vaccine, compared with those seniors not taking statins. Another study revealed that the effectiveness at preventing serious respiratory illness was lower among patients taking statins.
One group of researchers examined the immune response data from an earlier flu vaccine clinical trial conducted during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 flu seasons. They concentrated on the possible effect of statin use on patients' initial immune responses after a flu vaccine immunization. The study involved nearly 7,000 adults over the age 65 in the United States and three other countries.
Statin users were noted to have a dramatically reduced immune response to the vaccination than those not taking statins, as evidenced by the level of antibodies to the flu vaccine strains in patients' blood 3 weeks after receiving the vaccine. The effect was most visible in patients on synthetic rather than those taking naturally derived statins.
Once confirmed, the findings could support the use of high-dose flu vaccine or vaccines containing stimulants to boost immune response in older people. Vaccines containing adjuvants have already been approved in Europe, but not yet in the US.
In the vaccine effectiveness study, researchers from Emory University in Atlanta, GA, examined the possible impact of statin therapy on the effectiveness of the flu vaccine at preventing serious respiratory illness.
