Underlying Medical Conditions Increase Influenza-Associated Hospitalization Risk, Study Finds

Infectious Disease Advisor (6/11, Basilio) reports a study found that “individuals with multiple underlying medical conditions are at increased risk for influenza-associated hospitalization, but the risk can be partially mediated in high-risk populations through annual vaccination.” In an analysis including 870,888 unique patients, researchers saw that “43,326 ARI-associated hospitalizations and 1403 influenza-associated hospitalizations occurred during the study period. Patients aged 65 years and older exhibited the highest prevalence of influenza vaccination, and those with underlying conditions were more likely to report seasonal influenza vaccination than those with none across all age groups.” They observed that “adults with congestive heart failure exhibited the highest overall rates for both ARI- and influenza-associated hospitalizations. In general, the rate of both outcomes increased as the number of underlying conditions increased.” The study was published in Infectious Diseases and Therapy.