(ATDN) Flu Shots

(ATDN) Flu Shots

Treatment Review #15; December 1994

A recent report from researchers at San Francisco's Medical Center (UCSF) have raised important concerns about flu shots. It's possible that a flu shot may raise levels of HIV in your blood without protecting you from the flu. A vaccine stimulates the immune system to make antibodies. There is evidence that any vaccine that stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies also stimulates replication of HIV. Most participants in the study at UCSF had three times the normal amount of HIV in their blood for a short time after getting vaccinated. Then when the immune system had done its work, viral replication slowed, and viral burden decreased to pre-shot levels. In people with T4 cells under 200, only about 40% mount an effective immune response to the vaccine, leaving the rest vulnerable to the flu.

One of the ways The Network keeps up with current information is by reading computer bulletin boards and other on-line services. This is one aspect of the Internet that you may have heard about. A doctor with a large HIV+ practice who provides reliable on-line information about treatments makes these points: 1. One of the main complications of flu is bacterial pneumonia, which people with HIV are already at higher risk for. 2. People with bad flu could have the symptoms of more serious infections, and undergo unnecessary work-ups. 3. If the flu vaccine alone causes increase in viral replication, then having the flu is probably worse. Should you get a flu shot or not? Depending on your T cell level, the information provided here is something to discuss with your doctor.

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Always watch for outdated information. This article first appeard in 1994. This material is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.

Copyright © 1994 - AIDS Treatment Data Network. If you want to copy, reproduce or excerpt this information, please give us a call at (800) 734-7104. This helps up to keep track of where and how this information is being used. You can also Email us at network@atdn.org http://206.179.124.69/network/index.html

This information is designed to support, not replace, the relationship that exists between you and your doctor.
©1994. AEGIS.