2023 Author: Bryan Walter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 22:24
British researchers have found that a flu vaccine given in the morning triggers a stronger immune response than given in the afternoon. The results of the work were published in the journal Vaccine.
The University of Birmingham experiment involved 276 volunteers over the age of 65 who did not have an infection or immune disorder and did not take immunosuppressants. They received trivalent influenza shots at 24 West Midland general practice clinics from 2011 to 2013. In 15 procedures, vaccination was carried out from 9:00 to 11:00, in the remaining nine - from 15:00 to 17:00.
On the day of vaccination, all participants took a blood test for cytokines (interleukins 6 and 10) and steroid hormones, and a month later their antibodies to the influenza virus strains against which the vaccine is directed (A / H1N1, B and A / H3N2) were checked.
After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, smoking, alcohol consumption and sleep duration, statistical analysis of the data obtained showed that the production of antibodies was significantly higher after morning vaccinations compared with afternoon vaccinations.
Thus, for the A / H1N1 strain, the difference in means was 293.3 (95% CI from 30.97 to 555.66; p = 0.03), for B - 15.89 (from 3.42 to 28.36; p = 0.01). For А / H3N2, the time of administration did not have a statistically significant value: the difference in means was 47.0 (from −52.43 to 146.46; p = 0.35). At the same time, the production of antibodies did not depend on the levels of cytokines and steroid hormones. No side effects were observed from the administration.
Thus, the morning flu vaccination was more effective than the afternoon one, which means it is preferred in the elderly. These findings may hold true for the general population and when vaccinated against other infections, but this remains to be proven in future studies, said study leader Anna Phillips.
