Influenza burden, prevention, and treatment in asthma-A scoping review by the EAACI Influenza in asthma task force

J. Schwarze, P. Openshaw, A. Jha, S. R. del Giacco, D. Firinu, O. Tsilochristou, G. Roberts, A. Selby, C. Akdis, I. Agache, A. Custovic, E. Heffler, G. Pinna, M. Khaitov, A. Nikonova, N. Papadopoulos, A. Akhlaq, U. Nurmatov, H. Renz, A. SheikhC. Skevaki*

*Corresponding author for this work

    Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

    64 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    To address uncertainties in the prevention and management of influenza in people with asthma, we performed a scoping review of the published literature on influenza burden; current vaccine recommendations; vaccination coverage; immunogenicity, efficacy, effectiveness, and safety of influenza vaccines; and the benefits of antiviral drugs in people with asthma. We found significant variation in the reported rates of influenza detection in individuals with acute asthma exacerbations making it unclear to what degree influenza causes exacerbations of underlying asthma. The strongest evidence of an association was seen in studies of children. Countries in the European Union currently recommend influenza vaccination of adults with asthma; however, coverage varied between regions. Coverage was lower among children with asthma. Limited data suggest that good seroprotection and seroconversion can be achieved in both children and adults with asthma and that vaccination confers a degree of protection against influenza illness and asthma-related morbidity to children with asthma. There were insufficient data to determine efficacy in adults. Overall, influenza vaccines appeared to be safe for people with asthma. We identify knowledge gaps and make recommendations on future research needs in relation to influenza in patients with asthma.

    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)1151-1181
    Number of pages31
    JournalAllergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology
    Volume73
    Issue number6
    Early online date6 Nov 2017
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - 1 Jun 2018

    Keywords

    • antivirals
    • heath care utilization
    • respiratory
    • vaccination
    • viral infection

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