It’s autumn, and flu season is due to start again soon. And for people with diabetes, the flu can be deadly. The CDC states that if you have diabetes, you are three times more likely to be hospitalized and three times more likely to die from the flu and its complications than other people.
The CDC lists the symptoms of flu as including:
If you have diabetes, even if your blood sugars are in good control, and get sick with flu-like illness, the CDC suggests that you should follow these additional steps:
It’s widely accepted that getting an influenza vaccination or “flu shot” is the best way to prevent getting flu. The flu shot is an inactivated vaccine (that is, it contains killed virus) that is given with a needle, usually in the upper arm. This kind of flu shot is approved for use in people older than six months, including healthy people and people with chronic medical conditions including diabetes. There are different variants of the flu shots that are available: a regular flu shot approved for people ages 6 months and older; a high-dose flu shot (called Fluzone) approved for people 65 and older, an intradermal (into the skin) flu shot approved for people 18 to 64 years of age; and a vaccine for ages 18-49 that doesn’t use influenza virus nor chicken eggs in manufacturing (Flublok). BTW, the CDC hasn’t recommended Fluzone vs. the regular flu shot for people over 65.
There is also a flu vaccine that is given as a nasal spray, brand name FluMist, which is made with live weakened flu viruses (which do not cause the flu). The CDC states that “the nasal spray vaccine should not be given to people with diabetes.”
There also are antiviral drugs that can be used to treat and prevent the flu.
The CDC also reminds us that “people with type 1 or type 2 diabetes are at an increased risk of developing pneumonia from the flu, therefore a pneumonia (pneumococcal) vaccine is also recommended for them.” Unlike the flu shot, one injection of the pneumonia vaccine lasts for many years.
The CDC’s website has several webpages with information about the flu for people with diabetes:
Seasonal Influenza (Flu) (updated for 2013-2014)
To wrap up: If you haven’t done so already, plan to get a flu shot soon. It’s that time of year.