The effectiveness of vaccination against pneumococcal infection in patients with severe bronchial asthma

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Introduction. The article discusses topical issues of the use of conjugated 13-valent pneumococcal vaccine Prevenar®13 (PCV13) in patients with severe bronchial asthma (SBA), including those receiving targeted therapy with genetically engineered biological drugs (GEBD). Aim. To study the effectiveness of vaccination against pneumococcal infection (PI) in patients with SBA. Materials and methods. The study included 381 patients with SBA. The average age in the study groups was 45.5 (42.0; 52.5) years. All patients underwent clinical and instrumental studies, including spirography with bronchodilation test. After confirming the diagnosis of BA, the patients were divided into 2 observation groups. Group 1 (n=191) consisted of patients undergoing treatment with GEBD. Group 2 included patients with asthma receiving standard therapy, according to the 4th-5th stage according to the criteria of the Global Initiative for Asthma 2022 (Global Initiative for Asthma – GINA). The observation group consisted of 190 patients. In each group, there are subgroups of patients who have been vaccinated against PI and have not been vaccinated for various reasons. The following criteria were used as the main endpoints of observation for 12 months to assess the effectiveness: the number of pneumonia during the observation period, the number of exacerbations of asthma (severe, non–severe), the number of hospitalizations, the duration of exacerbations, the level of control according to the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ5), functional indicators. Results. The coverage of PI vaccination in patients with BA remains quite low, further organizational and methodological work is required to increase their involvement in vaccination. Immunization of PCV13 in patients with SBA at the 4th-5th stage of therapy reduces the risk of community-acquired pneumonia by at least 28.5%. PCV13 vaccination may be an additional effective tool for controlling the symptoms of SBA, including in patients undergoing treatment with GEBD. Vaccination allows to normalize the functional parameters of respiratory function in patients with SBA. PCV13 is well tolerated and does not cause any significant allergic reactions in patients with asthma. Conclusion. PCV13 vaccination is an effective tool for reducing the risk of community-acquired pneumonia in patients with severe bronchial asthma, including those on targeted therapy with genetically engineered biological drugs.