Question
I am 43 and was diagnosed with RA three years ago. I am currently on humira and MTX and having good results. I do have a history of pleurisy and asthma. This past spring I had pleurisy of four months even after 60 mgs of prednisone. I tend to get it about three or four times a year and I have had pnumonia in the past. My queation is do you recomend your patients have a pneumonia shot? What are the pro’s and con’s of this? I do get a flu shot every year but was wanting to know about the pneumonia shot.
Answer
RA patients should get a pneumonia shot, particularly those on a TNF inhibitor such as Enbrel or Humira. It is impossible to get pneumonia from the shot and thus there is almost no negatives to getting the shot, unless you have had an allergic reactions to vaccinations in the past.
