Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • First Release
    • Current
    • Archives
    • Collections
    • AV Rheum
  • Resources
    • Guide for Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Payment
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Classified Ads
    • Reprints and Translations
    • Permissions
    • Meetings
    • FAQ
    • Policies
  • Subscribers
    • Subscription Information
    • Purchase Subscription
    • Your Account
    • Terms and Conditions
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Duncan A. Gordon Award
    • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • JRheum Supplements
  • Services

User menu

  • My Cart
  • Log In

Search

  • Advanced search
The Journal of Rheumatology
  • JRheum Supplements
  • Services
  • My Cart
  • Log In
The Journal of Rheumatology

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • First Release
    • Current
    • Archives
    • Collections
    • AV Rheum
  • Resources
    • Guide for Authors
    • Submit Manuscript
    • Author Payment
    • Reviewers
    • Advertisers
    • Classified Ads
    • Reprints and Translations
    • Permissions
    • Meetings
    • FAQ
    • Policies
  • Subscribers
    • Subscription Information
    • Purchase Subscription
    • Your Account
    • Terms and Conditions
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Letter from the Editor
    • Duncan A. Gordon Award
    • Accessibility
  • Contact Us
  • Follow jrheum on Twitter
  • Visit jrheum on Facebook
  • Follow jrheum on LinkedIn
  • Follow jrheum on RSS
EditorialEditorial

Further Evidence for Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination in Patients Treated with Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs and Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Agents

MELIHA C. KAPETANOVIC
The Journal of Rheumatology April 2014, 41 (4) 626-628; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3899/jrheum.140063
MELIHA C. KAPETANOVIC
Institution of Medical Sciences, Department of Rheumatology, Skånes Universitetssjukhus, Lund, SE-221 85, Sweden.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: meliha.c_kapetanovic@med.lu.se
  • Article
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
  • eLetters
PreviousNext
Loading

Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased risk of infections including possible vaccine-preventable ones1,2,3,4,5,6,7. Susceptibility to infections is considered to be partly associated with RA itself, i.e., immunological alterations as a part of the disease, disease activity, and disability2,3. Antirheumatic treatment, in particular longterm use of glucocorticoids, but also traditional disease modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) and biological remedies have all been shown to increase risk of infections4,5,6. In addition, higher age, concomitant smoking, common comorbidities such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes mellitus, kidney disease, or malignancies contribute to increased infection risk2,3,5. Vaccination is an appealing strategy in the attempt to reduce the burden of infectious diseases in RA. The recent European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) recommendations, based on current evidence and expert opinion, recommend that rheumatologists strongly consider annual inactive influenza and pneumococcal vaccination for their patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases7. Similarly, the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommends these vaccines to all subjects ≥ 65 years and those treated with immunosuppressive agents8. Thus, the majority of patients with RA should get annual seasonal influenza vaccine, and pneumococcal vaccine at least once in life. However, vaccine coverage among patients with RA, including those treated with anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) agents is still low7,8. There are a number of reasons for low influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rates. Anti-TNF treatments as first biologics for treatment of RA have been available for some 15 years, so data on safety, immunogenicity, and effectiveness of vaccines performed under treatment with these and other biologics are still limited. Prelicensure studies …

Address correspondence to Dr. Kapetanovic, E-mail: meliha.c_kapetanovic{at}med.lu.se

View Full Text
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

The Journal of Rheumatology
Vol. 41, Issue 4
1 Apr 2014
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by Author
  • Editorial Board (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word about The Journal of Rheumatology.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Further Evidence for Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination in Patients Treated with Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs and Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Agents
(Your Name) has forwarded a page to you from The Journal of Rheumatology
(Your Name) thought you would like to see this page from the The Journal of Rheumatology web site.
Citation Tools
Further Evidence for Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination in Patients Treated with Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs and Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Agents
MELIHA C. KAPETANOVIC
The Journal of Rheumatology Apr 2014, 41 (4) 626-628; DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.140063

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero

 Request Permissions

Share
Further Evidence for Influenza and Pneumococcal Vaccination in Patients Treated with Disease Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs and Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Agents
MELIHA C. KAPETANOVIC
The Journal of Rheumatology Apr 2014, 41 (4) 626-628; DOI: 10.3899/jrheum.140063
del.icio.us logo Digg logo Reddit logo Twitter logo CiteULike logo Facebook logo Google logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Save to my folders

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Acknowledgment
    • REFERENCES
  • References
  • Info & Metrics
  • PDF
  • eLetters

Related Articles

Cited By...

More in this TOC Section

  • Toward the Estimation of Unbiased Disease Prevalence Estimates Using Administrative Health Records
  • Musculotendinous Inflammation: The Defining Pathology of Polymyalgia Rheumatica?
  • Psoriatic Arthritis, Psoriatic Disease, or Psoriatic Syndrome?
Show more Editorial

Similar Articles

Content

  • First Release
  • Current
  • Archives
  • Collections
  • AV Rheum

Resources

  • Guide for Authors
  • Submit Manuscript
  • Author Payment
  • Reviewers
  • Advertisers
  • Classified Ads
  • Reprints and Translations
  • Permissions
  • Meetings
  • FAQ
  • Policies

Subscribers

  • Subscription Information
  • Purchase Subscription
  • Your Account
  • Terms and Conditions

More

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • My Alerts
  • My Folders
  • RSS Feeds
The Journal of Rheumatology
The content of this site is intended for health care professionals.
Copyright © 2016 by The Journal of Rheumatology Publishing Co. Ltd.
Print ISSN: 0315-162X; Online ISSN: 1499-2752
Powered by HighWire