Many Adults With Asthma Are Skipping Flu Shots

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Many factors might contribute to the low vaccination rates, said Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of New York and a clinical instructor of medicine at New York University School of Medicine.

"Those with asthma may not realize they are in a high-risk group" for flu complications, Bassett said.

Those with asthma might also be overwhelmed because they could already be taking several medications to treat their asthma or don't want to spend more time or money in the doctor's office, he added.

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Old-fashioned denial could play a role, too, Bassett noted. The thinking he often hears, he said, is this: "I am OK, I never had the flu, I don't think I need it."

Some with asthma may also mistakenly think a shot would affect their breathing adversely, which is not true, Euler said.

He advises all patients, whether they have asthma or not, to start talking to their doctors about getting vaccinated in the late summer or early fall.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have more about the flu vaccine.

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