The Practice Guideline for Vaccinating Korean Patients With Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Disease

Abstract

To develop a clinical practice guideline for vaccination in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic disease (AIIRD), the Korean College of Rheumatology and the Korean Society of Infectious Diseases developed a clinical practice guideline according to the clinical practice guideline development manual. Since vaccination is unlikely to cause AIIRD or worsen disease activities, required vaccinations are recommended. Once patients are diagnosed with AIIRD, treatment strategies should be established and, at the same time, monitor their vaccination history. It is recommended to administer vaccines when the disease enters the stabilized stage. Administering live attenuated vaccines in patients with AIIRD who are taking immunosuppressants should be avoided. Vaccination should be considered in patients with AIIRD, prior to initiating immunosuppressants. It is recommended to administer influenza, Streptococcus pneumoniae, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, herpes zoster, measles-mumps-rubella virus, human papillomavirus, and tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis vaccines in patients with AIIRD; such patients who planned to travel are generally recommended to be vaccinated at the recommended vaccine level of healthy adults. Those who live in a household with patients with AIIRD and their caregivers should also be vaccinated at levels that are generally recommended for healthy adults.

Risk factors for herpes zoster in Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis treated with JAK inhibitor: a nested case–control study

“… 23 The Korean Society of Infectious Diseases (KSID) has recommended the administration of HZ vaccines to adults aged ≥60 years. 24 However, a new practice guideline for vaccination developed by the Korean College of Rheumatology (KCR) and KSID in 2020 recommends that HZ vaccines should be considered for patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases who are aged ≥50 years. 24 Considering that most patients diagnosed with HZ were in their 50s or 60s and within a year from initiating JAKis, the new guideline seems reasonable.…”

Increased risk of herpes zoster with tofacitinib treatment in Korean patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a single-center prospective study

“…In Korea, two live zoster vaccines were available in the past: Zostavax ® and SKYzoster ® . Live attenuated vaccines are not recommended for patients using immunosuppressants, so the zoster vaccination uptake in RA patients might have been low 19 . In September 2022, an inactivated recombinant zoster vaccine, Shingrix ® , was approved in Korea, and was released in December 2022.…”

Incidence of rheumatic diseases during the COVID-19 pandemic in South Korea

“…Autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRDs) mainly affect the musculoskeletal system and connective tissues due to altered immune regulation [1]. Several diseases, including rheumatoid arthritis (RA), systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), Behçet's disease (BD), Sjögren's syndrome (SjS), systemic sclerosis (SSc), idiopathic inflammatory myositis (IIM), polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR), and gout are included in this classification [2].…”