A post-vaccination study has found that high-dose and standard adjuvanted influenza vaccines are equally safe in older adults and have virtually the same short-term effects on quality of life in these patients.
Any vaccine reaction that limits or prevents activities of daily living can have a substantial effect on quality of life in older adults, the researchers proposed. In their clinical trial, 757 adults aged 65 and older were randomly assigned to receive either trivalent adjuvanted inactivated influenza vaccine (aIIV3) or trivalent high-dose inactivated influenza vaccine (HD-IIV3).
There was no difference found in the proportion of participants with moderate to severe injection-site pain, and post-vaccination, health-related quality of life was similar between the groups. In addition, no vaccine-related serious adverse events occurred, reported study lead Karen R. Broder, M.D., of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Immunization Safety Office.
“These findings suggest that from a safety standpoint, aIIV3 or HD-IIV3 is an acceptable option to prevent influenza in older adults,” Broder and colleagues concluded.
The study was published in JAMA Network Open.
