Flu Shot Tied to Fewer Hospitalizations, Deaths in Type 2 Diabetes Patients

Risk of dying dropped almost one-quarter over 7 years in those who got the vaccine

By Robert Preidt

Tuesday, July 26, 2016

TUESDAY, July 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- The seasonal flu vaccine may offer people with type 2 diabetes some protection against dying prematurely, a new study suggests.

The flu shot also appeared to protect those with type 2 diabetes from hospitalizations for stroke, as well as heart and breathing problems, the study said.

British researchers looked at a large group -- more than 124,500 people -- with type 2 diabetes. People with type 2 diabetes normally have a higher risk of cardiovascular problems, the researchers noted.

During the seven-year study, the researchers found that flu vaccination was associated with a 19 percent reduction in flu-season hospital admissions for heart attack in people with type 2 diabetes.

Hospital admissions for stroke were 30 percent lower for those who got a flu vaccination. Admissions were also down 22 percent for heart failure, and 15 percent for pneumonia or influenza in people with type 2 diabetes who got the flu shot.

The death rate among those who received a flu shot was 24 percent lower than in those who weren't vaccinated, the research said.

The study wasn't designed to prove a cause-and-effect link between the flu shot and the reduction in death and hospital admissions. However, the study did show a strong connection between those factors.

The results show "that people with type 2 diabetes may derive substantial benefits from current vaccines, including protection against hospital admission for some major cardiovascular outcomes," wrote study researcher Dr. Eszter Vamos, from Imperial College London, and colleagues.

"These findings underline the importance of influenza vaccination as part of comprehensive secondary prevention in this high-risk population," the researchers said.

The study was published July 25 in CMAJ.

SOURCE: CMAJ, news release, July 25, 2016

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