Almishrafi Hamdan A, Alhaqbani Abdulaziz A, Alshammari Waleed I, Alqulaysh Bader F, Alnasyan Abdulrahman Y, Alwadie Saleh A, Almozini Mohammed A, Alghamdi Muaath A, Alhqyal Abdullah S, Alhabi Nawaf Y
Department of Emergency Medicine, Riyadh Third Health Cluster, Riyadh, SAU.
Department of Family and Community Medicine, Riyadh Second Health Cluster, Riyadh, SAU.
Cureus. 2024 Dec 30;16(12):e76620. doi: 10.7759/cureus.76620. eCollection 2024 Dec.
Introduction Asthma prevalence among Saudi adults aged 20-44 years in Riyadh is high, with 11.3% reporting physician-diagnosed asthma, exceeding rates in most countries using similar methods. In Aseer province, one out of five adults is estimated to have asthma. Patients with asthma are at higher risk of morbidity and mortality from influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 infections. In Saudi Arabia, the recommended vaccinations for patients with asthma include annual influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 vaccination. Our aim in this study is to estimate the coverage rate of influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 vaccines in patients with asthma who follow up in Riyadh's second health cluster's primary care centers. Methods This cross-sectional descriptive study design assessed the coverage rate of recommended vaccinations among patients with asthma. We adhered to the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines when reporting the results. Data on patients with asthma was collected from the electronic health records of patients with asthma in Raqeem, a national governmental primary care center electronic health record. Vaccination data were collected from national vaccination records in Seha. Prescribed medications were collected from Wasfaty, a platform for primary care prescriptions. Results Overall, 2,689 records of patients with asthma were collected, with 1,441 (53.59%) being males. The median age was 37 years (IQR = 20). Of the patients, 2,273 (84.53%) were Saudi, and 502 (18.67%) received the 2023-2024 influenza vaccine. Only seven (0.26%) patients received the pneumococcal vaccine, while 2,502 (93.05%) patients received any of the COVID-19 vaccines. Patients vaccinated for influenza were significantly older than unvaccinated patients (p < 0.05). Patients prescribed high-dose corticosteroids in the six months prior to the start of the season were significantly more likely to be vaccinated than patients without prescription (p < 0.05). Conclusion This study underscores systemic barriers to achieving optimal immunization rates and highlights significant gaps in understanding among patients and healthcare providers. These findings emphasize the need for targeted public health measures, including improved documentation, enhanced education, and stronger recommendations from healthcare professionals during routine asthma management visits. Coordinated efforts by healthcare institutions, such as integrating reminders into electronic health systems, public health initiatives, and further research on vaccination challenges, are vital to increasing vaccination rates in this vulnerable population.
利雅得20至44岁沙特成年人中的哮喘患病率很高，11.3%的人报告有医生诊断的哮喘，超过了大多数采用类似方法的国家的患病率。在阿西尔省，估计五分之一的成年人患有哮喘。哮喘患者因流感、肺炎球菌和新冠病毒感染而发病和死亡的风险更高。在沙特阿拉伯，推荐给哮喘患者的疫苗接种包括每年的流感、肺炎球菌和新冠病毒疫苗接种。我们这项研究的目的是估计在利雅得第二健康集群的初级保健中心接受随访的哮喘患者中流感、肺炎球菌和新冠病毒疫苗的接种率。
这项横断面描述性研究设计评估了哮喘患者中推荐疫苗接种的覆盖率。我们在报告结果时遵循了加强流行病学观察性研究报告（STROBE）指南。哮喘患者的数据从国家政府初级保健中心电子健康记录Raqeem中哮喘患者的电子健康记录收集。疫苗接种数据从Seha的国家疫苗接种记录中收集。处方药物从初级保健处方平台Wasfaty中收集。
总体而言，收集了2689份哮喘患者记录，其中1441名（53.59%）为男性。中位年龄为37岁（四分位距 = 20）。患者中，2273名（84.53%）为沙特人，502名（18.67%）接种了2023 - 2024年流感疫苗。只有7名（0.26%）患者接种了肺炎球菌疫苗，而2502名（93.05%）患者接种了任何一种新冠病毒疫苗。接种流感疫苗的患者明显比未接种的患者年龄大（p < 0.05）。在季节开始前六个月开具高剂量皮质类固醇药物的患者比未开具处方的患者接种疫苗的可能性明显更高（p < 0.05）。
本研究强调了实现最佳免疫率的系统性障碍，并突出了患者和医疗服务提供者之间在认识上的显著差距。这些发现强调了有针对性的公共卫生措施的必要性，包括改善记录、加强教育以及在常规哮喘管理就诊期间医疗专业人员给出更强有力的建议。医疗机构的协调努力，如将提醒纳入电子健康系统、公共卫生倡议以及对疫苗接种挑战的进一步研究，对于提高这一弱势群体的疫苗接种率至关重要。
