Influenza vaccination can substantially reduce the risk of hospitalizations for influenza pneumonia, according to a recent research publication. Carlos Grijalva, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of health policy at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, and colleagues collected data on nearly 2,767 patients hospitalized for pneumonia in 4 U.S. hospitals from January 2010 through June 2012.
The researchers found that 5.9% of these patients had flu-related pneumonia, while the other patients were hospitalized for pneumonia that was not caused by influenza. "We estimate that approximately 57% of hospitalizations due to influenza pneumonia could be prevented by influenza vaccination," Grijalva said. Source: Renal & Urology News, Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
