Flu vaccine unlikely to complicate management of patients with sickle cell anemia

Hambidge SJ. Pediatrics. 2011;doi:10.1542/peds.2011-1294.

Children with sickle cell anemia are not more likely to have a serious complication related to their illness after receiving the trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine than those who do not receive the vaccine, according to data published online this week.

Simon J. Hambidge, MD, PhD, of the Institute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, and colleagues reported data from matched case-control and self-controlled studies, which they derived from a retrospective cohort of children in the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) system.

Hambidge and colleague identified 179 patients with sickle cell crises during influenza seasons between 1999 and 2006. They then assigned patients to a case or a control group, depending upon vaccination status.

The researchers said the difference between children who had sickle cell crisis and were vaccinated and those who did not was insignificant (OR=1.3; 95% CI, 0.8-2.2). They noted a similar OR for incident rate for sickle cell crisis hospitalization in the 2 weeks after vaccination.

The researchers said influenza vaccination rates rose during the study periods, and their findings could help guide policy recommendations for influenza vaccines in the future.

“There are an estimated 31,000 children with sickle cell disease in the United States. These children are at increased risk of complications from influenza infection, and since the 1970s, (they) have been recommended to receive annual influenza vaccination,” they wrote. “However, there are sparse data on the safety of influenza vaccine in this population.”

Disclosure: The CDC supported the study, and the researchers reported no relevant financial disclosures.

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