Prevention of infectious complications in rheumatic disease patients: immunization, Pneumocystis carinii prophylaxis, and screening for latent infections.

Most rheumatology textbooks lack adequate recommendations for specific immunization of patients with rheumatic diseases, especially those treated with immunosuppressive medications. The authors wish to alert clinicians to issues pertinent to immunization of immunosuppressed rheumatology patients. By elucidating deficiencies in the current literature, the authors hope to identify future directions for clinical investigation and to increase the rates of effective immunization against vaccine preventable diseases. In addition to focusing on immunizations, this article also discusses Pneumocystis carinii prophylaxis in immunosuppressed patients with rheumatic diseases and screening that clinicians should consider before beginning administration of immunosuppressive agents.