| Study characteristics |
| Methods |
Prospective cohort study conducted in Stockholm, Sweden during the 1999 to 2000 influenza season, in the community. Data sources were vaccination database and discharge diagnoses database. Follow‐up period was December 1999 to May 2000. 23% of vaccinees received flu vaccine alone; 58% of vaccinated received flu and pneumococcal vaccine. 19% of vaccinated received pneumococcal vaccine alone. All data were included in a separate analysis. |
| Participants |
258,747 community‐dwelling elderly (124,702 treated and 134,045 controls were included in the analysis), 65 years or older |
| Interventions |
Parenteral influenza vaccine: A/Beijing/262/95; A/Sydney/5/97; B/Harbin/7/94; pneumococcal vaccine. Vaccine strains matched the circulating strain. |
| Outcomes |
Hospitalisation from influenza (ICD‐X: J10.0, J10.1, J10.8, J11.0, J11.1, J11.8), hospitalisation from pneumonia (ICD‐X: J12‐ J18, J69.0, A48.1); in‐hospital deaths from influenza and in‐hospital deaths from pneumonia were not available for the 6‐month period. |
| Notes |
Vaccinated people had higher education, more underlying diseases, and smoked less. Circulating strain was A/Sydney (H3N2). The season was probably an epidemic one. 6% of the population lived in a nursing home. |
| Risk of bias |
| Bias |
Authors' judgement |
Support for judgement |
| Allocation concealment (selection bias) |
Unclear risk |
B ‐ Unclear |
