A flu shot's ability to work for the elderly appears to depend on certain life events experienced by the patient, a new British study suggests.
March 21, 2006 (Press Release) --
On the other hand, for the two-thirds of the men and women who indicated that they were either married or living with someone, the antibody response was significantly higher than among those who were divorced, single, separated or widowed.
In addition, marital satisfaction was also associated with improved antibody response. Unmarried patients were found to have a 74 percent lower antibody response to one strain of flu, compared to those who were happily married.
Phillips said the findings might help health-care providers to get the most vulnerable elderly to improve their chances of getting the greatest benefit from a flu shot.
Phillips acknowledged that it's difficult to change someone's bereavement or marital status. But measures to help people cope more effectively with bereavement (such as counseling), or marital interventions to help increase marital satisfaction and happiness (such as communication training) could improve an individual's emotional and physical well-being, she said.
But Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine and the author of False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear, suggested that the study's premise may not be definitive.
"I would say that there's a definite interplay between stress and an immune response," said Siegel. "But it's a very different proposition to identify what kind of stress has what effect."
"For example, my research has shown that prolonged chronic worry may diminish an immune response while temporary excitement might augment it," Siegel added. "So it's confusing, because it's not necessarily a linear connection. And I would want to see a lot more research on this."
Source: http://www.msn.com/
In addition, marital satisfaction was also associated with improved antibody response. Unmarried patients were found to have a 74 percent lower antibody response to one strain of flu, compared to those who were happily married.
Phillips said the findings might help health-care providers to get the most vulnerable elderly to improve their chances of getting the greatest benefit from a flu shot.
Phillips acknowledged that it's difficult to change someone's bereavement or marital status. But measures to help people cope more effectively with bereavement (such as counseling), or marital interventions to help increase marital satisfaction and happiness (such as communication training) could improve an individual's emotional and physical well-being, she said.
But Dr. Marc Siegel, a clinical associate professor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine and the author of False Alarm: The Truth About the Epidemic of Fear, suggested that the study's premise may not be definitive.
"I would say that there's a definite interplay between stress and an immune response," said Siegel. "But it's a very different proposition to identify what kind of stress has what effect."
"For example, my research has shown that prolonged chronic worry may diminish an immune response while temporary excitement might augment it," Siegel added. "So it's confusing, because it's not necessarily a linear connection. And I would want to see a lot more research on this."
Source: http://www.msn.com/
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