High-Dose Influenza Vaccine No More Effective than Standard-Dose in Older Adults

In a large retrospective cohort study, veterans aged ≥65 receiving high-dose influenza vaccine did not have lower hospitalization rates for influenza or pneumonia.

Influenza-related morbidity and mortality are high among older adults. Knowledge that antibody response to influenza vaccination decreases with age led to the development of a high-dose (HD) trivalent inactivated vaccine that contains four times the standard amount of hemagglutinin antigen per strain of influenza virus. Although a large-scale randomized trial involving adults aged ≥65 showed that the HD vaccine provided better protection against influenza than standard-dose (SD) preparations (NEJM JW Gen Med Sep 15 2014 and N Engl J Med 2014; 371:635), neither the CDC nor the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices has voiced a preference for one product over the other in this population.

To determine the relative effectiveness of the H…

Reviewing Author

Neil M. Ampel, MD

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Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

Neil M. Ampel, MD

Disclosures

Editorial BoardsUpToDate

Leadership Positions in Professional SocietiesCoccidioidomycosis Study Group (Past President, Secretary, Treasurer)

High-Dose Influenza Vaccine No More Effective than Standard-Dose in Older Adults

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Reviewing Author