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2000
Volume 21, Issue 5
  • ISSN: 1573-3971
  • E-ISSN: 1875-6360
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Abstract

Introduction

Patients with autoimmune and inflammatory rheumatic diseases (AIIRD) have an increased susceptibility to infections due to their compromised immune systems and the use of immunosuppressive therapies. Infections are a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in these patients, emphasizing the need for strategies such as infection control and vaccination to prevent avoidable harm to both patients and healthcare workers. This study aims to provide expert consensus on infection screening and vaccination guidelines for AIIRD patients.

Methods

A task force of experts from the United Arab Emirates developed a set of statements based on available evidence and expert opinion. The consensus was structured into two main categories: infection screening (9 statements with 23 sub-statements) and vaccination (7 statements).

Results

The infection screening consensus covered nine key areas: tuberculosis (TB) screening (I.1), methods and periodicity of TB screening (I.2), strategies for managing positive IGRA test results (I.3), and infection control for hepatitis B (I.4), hepatitis C (I.5), HIV (I.6), varicella-zoster virus (I.7), and Pneumocystis jirovecii (I.8). The vaccination consensus included recommendations on general vaccination principles (V.0) and specific vaccinations for influenza (V.1), pneumococcal disease (V.2), human papillomavirus (HPV) (V.3), varicella-zoster virus (V.4), tetanus (V.5), and COVID-19 (V.6). Delphi voting showed strong consensus among the task force experts, validating their relevance and applicability for clinicians managing AIIRD patients.

Conclusion

This Emirati consensus provides up-to-date guidance and recommendations for clinicians to enhance the care and safety of AIIRD patients.

© 2025 The Author(s). Published by Bentham Science Publishers.
This is an open access article published under CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode
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Infection Screening and Vaccination of Adult and Pediatric Patients with Autoimmune Inflammatory Rheumatic Diseases: An Emirati Delphi Consensus
Curr. Rheumatol. Rev. 21, 545 (2025); https://doi.org/10.2174/0115733971368196250117105119
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Supplements

Supplementary Table 1: Available medications for AIIRD in the UAE. Supplementary Table 2: Treatment options for patients with latent tuberculosis Supplementary Table 3: PCP Prophylaxis with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) in patients with AIIRD (level of evidence) Supplementary Table 4: Available vaccines in the UAE. Supplementary Table 5: Immunosuppressive medication management at the time of live attenuated virus vaccine administration Supplementary Table 6: Guidance Related to the Use and Timing of Vaccine Dosing and Immunomodulatory Therapy in Relation to COVID-19 Vaccination in patients with AIIRD. Supplementary Table 7: Dosage of EVUSHELD for prophylaxis. Supplementary material is available on the publisher’s website along with the published article.

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  • Article Type:     Research Article
Keyword(s): Delphi consensus; healthcare workers; infection control; pediatric patients; rheumatic diseases; vaccination

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