Abstract
OBJECTIVES: We evaluate safety of routine vaccination among adults infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in five healthcare organizations in the United States. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of HIV-infected adults who received inactivated influenza vaccines, hepatitis B vaccines, pneumococcal vaccines, or tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccines between 2002 and 2013. We conducted self-controlled case series analysis to estimate the relative risk (RR) for 11 pre-specified adverse events (AEs) requiring medical attention. RESULTS: Among 20,417 HIV-infected adults (90.2% male), a total of 137,674 vaccine doses were administered. Based on ICD-9 codes, we detected an increased risk of cellulitis and infection (RR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.03-1.35) among all patients, and an increased risk of stroke/cerebrovascular diseases among patients with an HIV viral load >10,000 copies/ml (adjusted RR: 3.94, 95% CI: 1.32-11.72). Further analyses on chart confirmed cases of stroke/cerebrovascular diseases indicated no statistically significant increased risk (adjusted RR: 1.72, 95% CI: 0.41-7.24). There was no evidence of increased risk for other AEs following routine vaccination in HIV-infected adults. CONCLUSIONS: Routinely administered vaccines are generally safe for HIV-infected adults.