Prophylactic vaccination in children with mastocytosis

Abstract

Prophylactic vaccination is one of the fundamental elements of health policy. Poland has a universal vaccination programme, which is systematically modified depending on the changing epidemiological situation of infectious diseases, as well as current medical knowledge, which has its implications in legislation. Mastocytosis is a haematopoietic neoplasm occurring in children, usually with a benign course, limited to the skin and resolving before adolescence. However, the implementation of the general prophylactic vaccination programme in children with mastocytosis raises many concerns among doctors and parents. Vaccinations are among the exogenous agents that may cause mast cell activation and release of biologically active substances, resulting in the exacerbation of mastocytosis symptoms and an increased risk of anaphylaxis. However, the incidence of adverse effects of vaccinations in children with different forms of mastocytosis is in fact comparable to or only slightly higher than in the general population, and vaccine-related events are usually mild and local. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding regarding vaccinations in children with mastocytosis both among general practitioners and parents. The aims of this paper are to outline the current state of knowledge on the safety of vaccinations in this group of patients, to promote knowledge related to vaccination in patients with mastocytosis, and to emphasise that mastocytosis is not a contraindication to vaccination.