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Administering a quadruple dose of
flu vaccine to people with HIV helps erase the deficit of flu protection they
appear to experience compared with the general population, MedPage Today
reports. Seeking greater insight into the results of past studies that have
shown reduced antibody response to flu vaccines among people with HIV,
researchers at the MacGregor Infectious Disease Clinic of the Hospital of the
University of Pennsylvania conducted a study of 195 HIV-positive participants
who received either the standard flu vaccine dose or a dose four-times the
standard. The scientists published their results in the Annals of Internal
Medicine.
Most participants completed the
study—97 in the quadruple-dose group and 93 in the standard-dose cohort. The
respective seroprotection rates for various strains of the flu among the high-
versus the low-dose group were as follows: H1N1: 96 percent vs. 87 percent;
N3N2: 96 percent vs. 92 percent; and influenza B: 91 percent vs. 80 percent.
Both of the doses proved well-tolerated: 10 percent of each group experienced
tenderness at the injection site; 13 percent of the high-dose group and 14.7
percent of the low-dose group had malaise; and a respective 19 percent versus
18 percent experienced myalgia (general pain).
The study was limited by its small
size and the small number of participants with fewer than 200 CD4 cells. To
read the report, visit: http://www.medpagetoday.com/HIVAIDS/HIVAIDS/36683
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
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