| Medications for Scleroderma, Arthritis,
Autoimmune and Rheumatic Diseases |
| This page was written byJaney Willis, and has not yet been medically edited. See Disclaimer. |
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| Vaccinations and Scleroderma |
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| Overview of Vaccinations and Autoimmunity |
| Before receiving a vaccination of any kind, consult with your physicians. |
Vaccinations such as flu shots and pneumonia shots are recommended for patients with scleroderma and other autoimmune diseases. However, always consult your physicians before being vaccinated! |
| Vaccinations in patients with immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID). This review summarizes current literature data on vaccine safety and efficacy in IMID patients treated with immunosuppressive or immunomodulatory drugs and formulates best-practice recommendations on vaccination in this population. J.F. Rahier. Rheumatology Advance Access. June 29 2010. |
| Vaccination in patients with chronic rheumatic or autoimmune diseases. Patients who have chronic rheumatic or autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, or vasculitides, show a risk of infection that is at least 2-fold greater than that for healthy individuals. Vaccination is an option for a substantial number of these infections. (PubMed) Gluck T, Mueller-Ladner U. Clin Infect Dis. 2008 May 1;46(9):1459-65. (Also see: Prof. Müller-Ladner) |
| An audit of influenza and pneumococcal vaccination in rheumatology outpatients. Influenza and pneumococcal immunisation is suboptimal amongst patients on current immunosuppressant treatments attending rheumatology outpatient clinics. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders 2007, 8:58. |
| Vaccination and Rheumatic Diseases: Is There Still a Dilemma? The development of rheumatic diseases after immunization has been reported in the medical literature but a causal relationship has not been established. Infections remain an important cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with rheumatic diseases who may be immunodepressed for immunological dysfunctions or immunosuppressed due to the pharmacologic therapy. Benthan Science Publications. Current Rheumatology Reviews. Volume 3, Number 1, February 2007. |
| Seasonal Flu Vaccination |
| Low influenza vaccination rate among patients with systemic sclerosis. Influenza vaccination coverage is low in SSc patients. Lack of information and fear of adverse effects are the most common reasons for non-vaccination. Efforts are needed to increase the influenza vaccination coverage in this population. Luc Mouthon. Rheumatology. December 29, 2009. |
| Flu Vaccine Panel Creates Priority List. The top-priority group includes about 160 million people and contains five populations: pregnant women; household contacts of children younger than 6 months; health-care and emergency medical services workers; everyone 6 months to 24 years old; and people 25 to 64 who have conditions that put them at higher risk of serious infection and death. David Brown Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, July 30, 2009. |
| Lupus Drugs Dull Flu Shots. Immunity-suppressing lupus drugs dampen the effects of flu vaccines, a Dutch study warns. Lupus patients who are taking these drugs at the same time they get their flu shots may be vulnerable to flu complications.Daniel J. DeNoon. WebMD. 07/30/09. |
| Influenza vaccine response impaired by anti-TNF treatment. Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) alpha treatment modestly impairs the antibody response to influenza vaccination, but allows most patients to achieve a protective titer. The Job Cure (Reuters) 05/21/08. (Also see: DMARDS) |
| H1N1 Vaccination |
| Swine flu shots must for cardiac patients. As swine flu cases shoot up across India with the onset of the monsoon, experts are suggesting vaccines for those with chronic illness like heart diseases. Sify News. 07/03/10. |
| Influenza A(H1N1)v pandemic in the dialysis population: first wave results from an international survey. End-stage renal disease patients should be included in first ranks of the priority list for the influenza A (H1N1)v vaccine, as already advocated by some healthcare authorities. Marcelli D. (PubMed) Nephrol Dial Transplant. 2009 Dec;24(12):3566-72. |
| H1N1 Precautions. The only portals of entry are the nostrils and mouth/throat. In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible to avoid coming into contact with H1N1 inspite of all precautions. Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is. Advice from Dr. Vinay Goyal, Nuclear Medicine Department and Thyroid Clinic, Malad. Montana State University. 10/16/09. |
| Evidence Does Not Connect H1N1 Vaccine To Patient Deaths, World Health Organization Says. The deaths of 41 people from six countries who had received the H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine were not directly linked to the vaccine. Medical News 11/22/09. |
| Update: Influenza Activity - United States, April to August 2009. By August, the cumulative number of 2009 pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus infections in the United States was estimated to be at least 1 million. Pandemic H1N,1 during the last 2 weeks of August, activity increased in certain areas of the United States. These recent increases might signal an early start to the 2009–10 influenza season, with pandemic H1N1 influenza viruses predominating at least initially. CDC/MMWR. Vol. 58. 09/10/09. |
| Swine Influenza and You. Information on the swine influenza A (H1N1) virus with additional links for more informaiton. Center for Disease Control and Prevention. Updated May 8, 2009. |
| Pneumonia Vaccination |
| The pneumonia vaccine (pneumococcal vaccine or PPV23 or PPSV) is recommended for adults over 65 and younger persons with chronic illnesses or weakened immune systems. According to UpToDate® a 2009 meta-analysis on the efficacy of PPV23 suggests that the pneumococcal vaccination appears to be more beneficial in the prevention of invasive pneumococcal disease, rather than in the prevention of pneumonia. Scleroderma patients should discuss the pros and cons of this vaccine with their physicians. ISN. |
| Pneumococcal vaccine. This vaccine is made to protect you against pneumococcal pneumonia, which is the most common type of pneumonia caused by bacteria. It's not clear whether the vaccine protects you if you're older or in poor health, or if your immune system. Different studies say different things. Consumer Reports. Health.org. January, 2009. |
| Pathogenesis, treatment, and prevention of pneumococcal pneumonia. Pneumococcus remains the most common cause of community-acquired pneumonia worldwide. Versatility of the genome of pneumococci and the bacteria's polygenic virulence capabilities show that a multifaceted approach with many vaccine antigens, antibiotic combinations, and immunoadjuvant therapies will be needed to control this microbe. van der Poll T. (PubMed) Lancet. 2009 Oct 31;374(9700):1543-56. |
| Pneumococcal Vaccination (Pneumonia Vaccination). Pneumococcal vaccination is a method of preventing a specific type of lung infection (pneumonia) that is caused by Pneumococcus bacterium. There are more than 80 different types of pneumococcus bacteria-23 of these are covered in the current vaccination. MedicineNet.com. |
| Higher Pneumococcal Disease Vaccination Rates Needed to Protect More At-Risk US Adults. Despite the availability of an effective pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPSV23), vaccination rates among adults remain suboptimal. This is of immediate concern given the current H1N1 pandemic, since secondary bacterial infection with Streptococcus pneumoniae is common and can contribute to morbidity and mortality. Rehm SJ. (PubMed) Postgrad Med. 2009 Nov;121(6):101-5. |
| Making pneumo shot a rule rather than an exception. The individual and community protection that pneumococcal vaccine could provide are cost savings to everyone involved when both direct and indirect costs are considered. Philippine Daily Inquirer. 08/15/08. |
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