Skip to ContentSkip to Navigation
About us Latest news News News articles

Influenza vaccination in primary and secondary immunodeficiencies

21 September 2011

PhD ceremony: Mr. S. van Assen, 16.15 uur, Aula Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Dissertation: Influenza vaccination in primary and secondary immunodeficiencies

Promotor(s): prof. C.G.M. Kallenberg

Faculty: Medical Sciences

 

Patients with immunodeficiencies are at increased risk of contracting common and/or opportunistic infections, that might be prevented or mitigated by vaccination. We investigated the humoral and cell-mediated immune (CMI) responses following influenza vaccination in patients with humoral primary immunodeficiencies (hPID), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA)-patients treated with rituximab. In patients with hPID humoral responses following influenza vaccination were clearly hampered. Previous vaccination and treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin did not result in higher seroprotection rates. Antibody responses were also decreased in SLE-patients. A second influenza vaccination four weeks later only led to an additional increase in the influenza-specific antibody responses in not previously vaccinated SLE-patients. Influenza vaccination within four to eight weeks after administration of rituximab did not result in a humoral response in rituximab-induced B-cell depleted RA-patients. Six to 10 months following rituximab therapy an antibody response was found although it was still hampered. CMI responses following influenza vaccination were impaired in the hPID, SLE and rituximab-treated RA-patients. In SLE-patients reduced CMI responses were associated with the use of prednisone and/or azathioprine. In conclusion, the patients with primary and secondary immunodeficiencies we investigated demonstrated hampered humoral and CMI responses following influenza vaccination. We developed evidence- and expert-based recommendations for vaccination in adult patients with auto-immune inflammatory rheumatic diseases for the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR).

 

Last modified:13 March 2020 01.09 a.m.
View this page in: Nederlands

More news

  • 27 March 2024

    UG/UMCG researchers receive prestigious research grant

    RUG/UMCG scientists Mark Hipp, Bart Eggen, Moniek Tromp and Marleen Kamperman, along with colleagues, are involved in four of seven Dutch science consortia.

  • 26 March 2024

    Preventing the next depression

    Marie-José van Tol, Professor of 'Mood and Cognition’, studies what people who are prone to depression can do themselves in order to prevent recurrence.

  • 18 March 2024

    VentureLab North helps researchers to develop succesful startups

    It has happened to many researchers. While working, you suddenly ask yourself: would this not be incredibly useful for people outside of my own research discipline? There are many ways to share the results of your research. For example, think of a...