Vaccination and autoimmune rheumatic diseases

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 TNFα blocking agents did not appear to impair the immune response.