Inactivated influenza vaccination for people with spinal cord injury.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the antibody responses of people with spinal cord injury (SCI) to the commercially available trivalent influenza vaccine.


METHODS
Prospective trial of patients and controls.


METHODS
Veterans Affairs medical center.


METHODS
Forty people with SCI and 40 able-bodied subjects.


METHODS
Intramuscular administration of inactivated influenza vaccine.


METHODS
Antibody responses were determined by using the standard hemagglutination-inhibition test before and 4 weeks after vaccination. Serum antibody responses were assessed as follows: (1) percentage of each cohort achieving a 4-fold or greater rise in antibody titer, (2) percentage of each cohort achieving a postvaccination antibody titer of 32 or more, and (3) postvaccination geometric mean antibody titers.


RESULTS
The serum antibody responses to each vaccine antigen were similar for the SCI and the control cohorts for the 3 outcomes. Neither the time since injury (</=1 y vs >1 y) nor the level of injury (paraplegia vs quadriplegia) affected the vaccine antibody responses in the SCI cohort. Subjects older than 65 years had lower postvaccination serum antibody levels than those younger than 65 years ( P <.05).


CONCLUSIONS
People with SCI responded to influenza vaccination in a manner similar to able-bodied subjects and would be expected to benefit from vaccination.
Trautner
Barbara W
BW
Department of Medicine (Infectious Disease Section), Veterans Affairs Medical Center nd Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA. trautner@bcm.tmc.edu
Atmar
Robert L
RL
Hulstrom
Amy
A
Darouiche
Rabih O
RO
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000914:Antibodies, Viral / Q000097:blood; D000917:Antibody Formation; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D006385:Hemagglutination Inhibition Tests; D006801:Humans; D009980:Influenza A virus / Q000276:immunology; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000097:blood / Q000276:immunology*; D013781:Texas; D013997:Time Factors; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014611:Vaccination / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology
D000914:Antibodies, Viral; D007252:Influenza Vaccines; D015164:Vaccines, Inactivated