Quick Study

PNEUMONIA

Flu shots don't seem to stave off lung infection.

THE QUESTION Might getting a flu shot help prevent older people from contracting pneumonia, which is a frequent complication of the flu in this age group?

THIS STUDY analyzed data for three flu seasons on 1,173 people, 65 to 94 years old, who were diagnosed with pneumonia, comparing them with 2,346 people of similar age and sex who did not develop pneumonia. About three-fourths of both groups got flu shots in those three years. People who did and did not get a flu shot had virtually the same likelihood of developing pneumonia.

WHO MAY BE AFFECTED? People older than 65, who are far more likely than younger people to develop serious complications, such as pneumonia, if they contract the flu. As a preventive, an annual flu shot is recommended for anyone older than 50.

CAVEATS The flu vaccine varies from year to year, depending on the strain prevalent in a given year; whether testing in other years would have produced different results is unclear. One of the study's six authors has received fees from companies that make flu vaccines.

FIND THIS STUDY Aug. 2 issue of the Lancet.

LEARN MORE ABOUT pneumonia at http://www.lungusa.org (click on "Diseases A to Z"). Learn about the flu at http://www.cdc.gov/flu.