Network analysis of possible anaphylaxis cases reported to the US vaccine adverse event reporting system after H1N1 influenza vaccine

Taxiarchis Botsis, Robert Ball

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

The identification of signals from spontaneous reporting systems plays an important role in monitoring the safety of medical products. Network analysis (NA) allows the representation of complex interactions among the key elements of such systems. We developed a network for a subset of the US Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) by representing the vaccines/adverse events (AEs) and their interconnections as the nodes and the edges, respectively; this subset we focused upon included possible anaphylaxis reports that were submitted for the H1N1 influenza vaccine. Subsequently, we calculated the main metrics that characterize the connectivity of the nodes and applied the island algorithm to identify the densest region in the network and, thus, identify potential safety signals. AEs associated with anaphylaxis formed a dense region in the 'anaphylaxis' network demonstrating the strength of NA techniques for pattern recognition. Additional validation and development of this approach is needed to improve future pharmacovigilance efforts.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationUser Centred Networked Health Care - Proceedings of MIE 2011
PublisherIOS Press
Pages564-568
Number of pages5
ISBN (Print)9781607508052
DOIs
StatePublished - Jan 1 2011
Externally publishedYes
Event23rd International Conference of the European Federation for Medical Informatics, MIE 2011 - Oslo, Norway
Duration: Aug 28 2011Aug 31 2011

Publication series

NameStudies in Health Technology and Informatics
Volume169
ISSN (Print)0926-9630
ISSN (Electronic)1879-8365

Other

Other23rd International Conference of the European Federation for Medical Informatics, MIE 2011
Country/TerritoryNorway
CityOslo
Period8/28/118/31/11

Keywords

  • H1N1
  • Network Analysis
  • Spontaneous Reporting System
  • VAERS

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biomedical Engineering
  • Health Informatics
  • Health Information Management

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