Flu vaccine associated with small increased risk for subdeltoid bursitis

Influenza vaccination was associated with a small risk for subdetltoid bursitis in a large retrospective cohort study, an association that was previously supported by clinical evidence from case reports. Education and training on proper injection technique could prevent this adverse event. In fact Injection technique may be the key to limiting vaccine-associated bursitis risk.

The findings of the study have been published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Influenza is a potentially serious disease that can lead to hospitalization and sometimes even death.An annual seasonal flu vaccine is the best way to help protect against flu. Vaccination has been shown to have many benefits including reducing the risk of flu illnesses, hospitalizations and even the risk of flu-related death in children.

Subdeltoid bursitis, characterized by pain and loss of motion in the shoulder, occurs in about 1 percent of the U.S. population and is usually due to injury. In 2012, an Institute of Medicine report concluded that evidence supported a causal relationship between the injection of a vaccine and deltoid bursitis, however, epidemiologic evidence for this relationship was lacking.