REVIEW - Vaccination and autoimmune rheumatic diseases

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Autoimmun Rev. 2008 Dec;8(2):124-8.

Vaccination and autoimmune rheumatic diseases.

Conti F, Rezai S, Valesini G.

Dipartimento di Clinica e Terapia Medica Applicata, Sezione di

Reumatologia, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy.

Patients with autoimmune rheumatic diseases are at increased risk of

developing infections. However, concerns about the safety and the

immunogenicity of vaccines in these patients limited their use. Most

of the data against the use of vaccines come from the reported cases

of previously healthy individuals who presented the onset of rheumatic

diseases after immunization, nevertheless a causal relationship has

not been established. During the past few decades influenza and

pneumococcal vaccines, administered to patients with systemic lupus

erythematosus, were found to be safe and, generally, serologically

effective, even though there is the possibility of inadequate

response, especially in patients receiving immunosuppressive agents.

In patients with rheumatoid arthritis influenza and pneumococcal

vaccines can be considered safe and immunogenic in most cases.

Treatment with TNFalpha blocking agents did not appear to impair the

immune response.

PMID: 18700175

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18700175

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