Asthma has an adverse effect on the production of antibody to vaccines

ABSTRACT

Asthma is considered a chronic inflammatory airway disease. Mounting evidence reports that patients with asthma are at significantly higher risk of developing communicable diseases such as invasive pneumococcal disease, Haemophilus influenza, varicella, measles, pertussis and tetanus. While impaired innate immunity may play a role in increased risk of developing these infections, suboptimal adaptive immune responses have also been reported to play a role in asthmatic subjects with regard to increased risk of infections. This review discusses the currently underrecognized immunological effect of asthma on antibody to vaccines and recommends that clinicians be aware of less optimal antibody production in response to vaccines in subjects with asthma.