Pneumococcal Vaccines and Autoimmune Phenomena

In order to investigate whether there is a correlation between pneumococcal immunization and rheumatic diseases, we searched the PubMed database using the terms "pneumococcal vaccine" and various combinations of keywords such as "Pneumovax," "7-valent," "13-valent," "23-valent," and "autoimmune or rheumatic disease." We excluded reports of reactions following coadministration of pneumococcal vaccine with other vaccines. We found only 14 cases reporting autoimmune adverse event post pneumococcal immunization. In addition, we found several studies of large cohorts investigating the safety of pneumococcal vaccines among patients with autoimmune diseases, which concluded that pneumococcal immunization is safe, with the profile of adverse reactions being similar to the one observed among healthy subjects. Finally, the most recent recommendations of the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR) concluded that pneumococcal vaccines are safe for children with autoimmune disorders. Thus, antipneumococcal vaccines seem to be efficacious and safe for both healthy and diseased subjects.