UT Southwestern rheumatologist recommends patients receive pneumococcal vaccine - UT Southwestern

DALLAS – Dec. 28, 2022 – Patients with rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and different rheumatic conditions are much astatine hazard for complications and decease from pneumonia, meningitis, and different bacterial infections, yet astir person not been vaccinated against infection.

UT Southwestern rheumatologist Elena K. Joerns, M.D., recommends that each patients with rheumatic disorders person a pneumococcal vaccine to support against the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria, which tin origin infections successful the ears, sinuses, lungs, spinal fluid, oregon bloodstream and pb to terrible symptoms and hospitalization.

“In radical who instrumentality immunosuppressant drugs to dainty chronic inflammatory conditions, pneumococcal infections are much apt to beryllium terrible owed to the weakened immune system,” said Dr. Joerns, Instructor successful Internal Medicine astatine UT Southwestern.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conscionable 23.9% of adults ages 64 and younger with a higher hazard of corruption owed to assorted conditions had received 1 oregon much vaccine doses successful 2020.

At UT Southwestern, a squad successful the West Campus Rheumatology-Internal Medicine Subspecialties Clinic has taken steps to boost vaccination rates among its patients, offering greater flexibility to supply vaccines during the check-in process oregon portion patients hold to beryllium seen by a physician.

“These patients often don’t person a batch of clip during their session visits due to the fact that they’re dealing with different analyzable issues, and determination is simply a deficiency of consciousness and cognition astir these vaccines,” Dr. Joerns said.

As a effect of the effort, the percent of unvaccinated patients visiting the session decreased from 68.2% successful 2019 to 40.5% successful 2021, the squad reported this period successful The Journal of Rheumatology.

The Advisory Committee connected Immunization Practices, which provides guidance to the CDC, updated its recommendations successful 2022 to springiness providers and patients the enactment of a new, single-dose pneumococcal vaccine alternatively than a three-dose regimen antecedently recommended, making vaccination much convenient.

Dr. Joerns noted that the caller protocol could beryllium utile for administering vaccinations successful different objective settings. “Our information showed that this protocol, which shifts vaccination to beryllium standardized and done arsenic portion of diligent check-in, allows vaccination to beryllium completed much efficiently and effectively,” she said.

This prime betterment task involving the Clinic was supported by Pfizer Inc. successful concern with the Alliance for Continuing Education.

About UT Southwestern Medical Center

UT Southwestern, 1 of the nation’s premier world aesculapian centers, integrates pioneering biomedical probe with exceptional objective attraction and education. The institution’s module has received six Nobel Prizes, and includes 24 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 18 members of the National Academy of Medicine, and 14 Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigators. The full-time module of much than 2,900 is liable for groundbreaking aesculapian advances and is committed to translating science-driven probe rapidly to caller objective treatments. UT Southwestern physicians supply attraction successful much than 80 specialties to much than 100,000 hospitalized patients, much than 360,000 exigency country cases, and oversee astir 4 cardinal outpatient visits a year.