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ASH 2024 | The importance of vaccination in individuals with hemoglobinopathies and addressing educational gaps
Sophia Delicou, MD, Hippokration General Hospital, Athens, Greece, highlights the crucial role of vaccinations in managing individuals with hemoglobinopathies, such as thalassemia and sickle cell disease (SCD), which are associated with compromised immune systems. Dr Delicou notes that, despite the importance of vaccines in preventing infections and improving quality of life, there are significant gaps in adult vaccination coverage, particularly among older adults, emphasizing the need for targeted education and information to address these gaps. This interview took place at the 66th ASH Annual Meeting and Exposition, held in San Diego, CA.
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Transcript
This was a very nice publication that we have with my team. Vaccines are very important when managing people with hemoglobinopathies like thalassemia and sickle cell disease. As we all know, these conditions are linked with problems with the immune system, mainly because of the spleen function and the long-term anemia, which make those patients more likely to get infections...
This was a very nice publication that we have with my team. Vaccines are very important when managing people with hemoglobinopathies like thalassemia and sickle cell disease. As we all know, these conditions are linked with problems with the immune system, mainly because of the spleen function and the long-term anemia, which make those patients more likely to get infections. So vaccines in these patients do more than just prevent infections. They also improve the quality of life and reduce the number of hospitalizations for these patients. This study, which was presented to us, showed that all the patients who answered the questions, showed that there are big gaps in adult vaccination coverage. While in childhood vaccination, the rates are in line with the national guidelines, the adult rates were not as good as they could be for even key vaccines like the flu or hepatitis or meningococcus or even pneumococcus, which is very important. This increases the risk of severe complications, especially among older adults. These patients have more misunderstandings about vaccination and about vaccines. So the second part of the question is that we need to focus on education and information for these patients. Patients rely on us, healthcare providers, for vaccine information, but I believe that they feel that the engagement is limited. They don’t have the information they need. So we have to convey this gap by offering more proactive vaccine counseling and keep focused on this.
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Disclosures
Honoraria: ELPEN, DEMO, Novo Nordisk, Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis; Research Funding: ISIS, Vifor, Novo Nordisk, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis, Afimmune, Agios, Novartis; Consultancy: Pfizer, Bristol Myers Squibb, Novartis; Membership on an Entity’s Board of Directors or Advisory Committees: Afimmune, Novartis; Current Employment: Hippokrateio General Hospital.
