Influenza infection and diabetes mellitus. Case for annual vaccination

Herein, epidemiological data on influenza pneumonia and mortality, results of clinical studies, and the outcome of influenza vaccination trials are reviewed. All excess mortality studies that specify for underlying disease list diabetes as one of the major risk factors. During influenza epidemics, death rates among patients with diabetes mellitus may increase by 5-15%. Diabetes mellitus is also mentioned as a risk factor in most clinical studies, making up 3-14% of the patients studied. Even in recent studies, diabetes mellitus is only preceded as a risk factor by cardiovascular disease and chronic pulmonary disorders. To what extent cardiovascular disease and old age contribute to the increased influenza mortality and morbidity in diabetic patients remains unclear. The influence of epidemic influenza on the incidence of diabetic acidosis in combination with an impaired immune response to both Staphylococcus aureus and the influenza virus suggests that diabetes mellitus itself is the main risk factor. It is concluded that all patients with diabetes mellitus should receive annual vaccinations and that, in official recommendations, patients with diabetes mellitus should be mentioned as a separate risk group. Whole-virus vaccines are preferred over subunit vaccines.