Flu Shot Linked to Lower Asthma Risk in Patients With Atopic Dermatitis

Influenza vaccination is associated with lower asthma risk in people with atopic dermatitis, suggests a nationwide cohort study published in Frontiers in Immunology.

“Atopic march refers to the natural history of atopic dermatitis in infancy followed by subsequent allergic rhinitis and asthma in later life,” researchers explained. “Respiratory viruses interact with allergic sensitization to promote recurrent wheezing and the development of asthma.”

To determine whether influenza vaccination affects asthma risk in patients with atopic dermatitis, researchers looked at data from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan for the years 2000 through 2013. Some 2207 patients with newly diagnosed atopic dermatitis who received the flu vaccine were matched for age and sex with 2207 patients with newly diagnosed atopic dermatitis who did not receive the flu vaccine. Participants were followed until their first asthma event or through 2013.

Compared with the nonvaccinated group, the adjusted hazard ratio of asthma in the vaccinated group was 0.69, according to the study. Among patients who received flu vaccination more than 2 years, the hazard ratio was 0.59, suggesting asthma risk reduction is dose dependent. Consequently, the authors inferred patients could reduce asthma risk further with annual flu vaccinations.

Subgroup analysis showed vaccinated patients in all age and sex groups trended toward lower asthma risk, researchers reported.

“Furthermore, in our stratification study investigating the association of asthma with other comorbidities, we found that asthma increased the risk of developing allergic rhinitis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease by 2.37-fold and 2.53-fold, respectively,” researchers wrote. “Therefore, we conclude that people with allergic diseases may benefit from influenza vaccination.

Reference:

Li KH, Leong PY, Tseng CF, Wang YH, Wei JC. Influenza vaccination is associated with lower incidental asthma risk in patients with atopic dermatitis: a nationwide cohort study. Front Immunol. 2021 Oct 12;12:729501. doi:10.3389/fimmu.2021.729501