[Practical problems by implementation of vaccination recommendations]

Patients with inflammatory rheumatic diseases are known to have an increased risk of infections due to the rheumatic disease itself and due to therapy with immunosuppressive agents. The most important procedure to prevent infections is vaccinations, which are usually well-tolerated. The German National Commission for Immunization ( STIKO) has published recommendations for patients with an immunodeficiency. The German Society of Rheumatology (DGRh) has generally implemented these recommendations for patients with chronic inflammatory rheumatic diseases. The immunization status of patients with rheumatic diseases is of increasing importance in routine patient care because some of the recently approved drugs may influence the strength of the immune response to vaccination. However, there is almost no information about the current immunization status and the willingness of patients with rheumatic diseases to undergo vaccination procedures in Germany. There are also no epidemiologic data on the implementation of recommendations for immunization at the level of general practitioners. Here we present the results of a prospective study on the efficacy of standardized recommendations for immunization given to different patient groups with rheumatic diseases treated in a hospital specialized in rheumatology.