This study appears in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity.
The study followed 184 (men and women) over the age of 65 who had received a single flu vaccine. Their antibody response to the flu shot was analyzed at one and 12 months after the vaccination. Forty-five participants in the study had lost a close friend or loved one the year prior to the flu vaccination. At one month after the shot they had an average 69 percent lower level of antibodies to flu than did participants who had not experienced a death. Participants in the study who were not married had a 74 percent lower level of antibodies.
One initial theory was that exercise and eating habits were negatively impacted by the death of a loved one and during the grieving period, but the study did not find that.
Peter A. Lichtenberg, Ph.D., of the Institute of Gerontology at Wayne State University, said, “Health outcomes are influenced by our biology, our environment, our psychosocial experiences and our health behaviors. This study shows how when one element is severely affected, the health outcome is also affected.” The study author suggested that efforts in bereavement counseling, health education, and marriage counseling could help to improve the immune response in the elderly.
The flu affects older adults more than any other group of people and in some years has caused more than 30,000 deaths, mostly from pneumonia as a result of the flu. A yearly flu shot is the single most important step older adults can take to help prevent the flu. Medicare covers the cost of the flu vaccination.
03/20/2006
SOURCES:Brain, Behavior and Immunity, 20(2), 2006
