Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36137620›Full record

ArticleBMJ open2022

Impact of influenza vaccination on GP-diagnosed COVID-19 and all-cause mortality: a Dutch cohort study.

Arjan van Laak, Ruud Verhees, J André Knottnerus, Mariëtte Hooiveld, Bjorn Winkens, Geert-Jan Dinant

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMJ open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.3field-weighted citation impact, top 45% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Arjan van LaakDepartment of General Practice, CAPHRI, Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands a.vanlaak@alumni.maastrichtuniversity.nl.ORCID 0000-0003-0211-3669
Ruud VerheesDepartment of General Practice, CAPHRI, Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
J André KnottnerusDepartment of General Practice, CAPHRI, Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Mariëtte HooiveldGeneral Practice Care, Otterstraat 118, Nivel, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Bjorn WinkensDepartment of Methodology and Statistics, CAPHRI, Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Geert-Jan DinantDepartment of General Practice, CAPHRI, Maastricht UMC+, Maastricht, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0001-7411-8325
Maastricht University Medical Centre · NLNetherlands Institute for Health Services Research · NL

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesAs clinical presentation and complications of both viruses overlap, it was hypothesised that influenza vaccination was associated with lower general practitioner (GP)-diagnosed COVID-19 rates and lower all-cause mortality rates. STUDY

designFrom a primary care population-based cohort in the Netherlands, GP-diagnosed COVID-19 (between 10 March and 22 November 2020) and all-cause mortality events (between 30 December 2019 and 22 November 2020) were recorded. 223 580 persons were included, representing the influenza vaccination 2019 target group (all aged ≥60 years, and those <60 years with a medical indication). Proportional hazards regression analyses evaluated associations between influenza vaccination in 2019 and two outcomes: GP-diagnosed COVID-19 and all-cause mortality. Covariables were sex, age, comorbidities and number of acute respiratory infection primary care consultations in 2019.

resultsA slightly positive association (HR 1.15; 95% CI 1.08 to 1.22) was found between influenza vaccination in 2019 and GP-diagnosed COVID-19, after adjusting for covariables. A slightly protective effect for all-cause mortality rates (HR 0.90; 95% CI 0.83 to 0.97) was found for influenza vaccination, after adjusting for covariables. A subgroup analysis among GP-diagnosed COVID-19 cases showed no significant association between influenza vaccination in 2019 and all-cause mortality.

conclusionsOur hypothesis of a possibly negative association between influenza vaccination in 2019 and GP-diagnosed COVID-19 was not confirmed as we found a slightly positive association. A slightly protective effect on all-cause mortality was found after influenza vaccination, possibly by a wider, overall protective effect on health. Future research designs should include test-confirmed COVID-19 cases and controls, adjustments for behavioural, socioeconomic and ethnic factors and validated cause-specific mortality cases.

Indexed as

COVID-19General PractitionersInfluenza, HumanInfluenza VaccinesCohort StudiesHumansVaccinationInfluenza VaccinesCOVID-19epidemiologyimmunologypreventive medicineprimary carepublic health

Identifiers

PMID36137620
PMCPMC9511012
OpenAlexW4296795894

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.