Do immunosuppressive agents hamper the vaccination response in patients with rheumatic diseases? A review of the literature

Abstract

Patients with auto-immune disease are more susceptible to infection than similar populations without auto-immune disease. Vaccination seems to be one of the most effective methods to prevent patients from possible infections, but may be impaired by concomitant immunomodulators. The aim of this review was to evaluate the effect of immunosuppressive drugs on vaccination efficiency. We found that the majority of studies confirms that neither the use of corticosteroids and conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs) nor the use of biological agents, except rituximab, reduce the efficacy of inactivated vaccines such as pneumococcal and influenza vaccines. Even if rituximab has been shown to reduce humoral responses following influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, this response can be modestly restored 6-10 months after rituximab administration. To sum up, treatment guidelines recommending routine use of pneumococcal and influenza vaccines for immune compromised patients should be followed in order to avoid severe infections.

Keywords: Immunosuppressive agents; Rheumatic diseases; Vaccination.