{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,4]],"date-time":"2026-08-04T23:44:17Z","timestamp":1785887057397,"version":"3.56.0"},"reference-count":54,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"11","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,15]],"date-time":"2021-11-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1636934400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Systemic sclerosis (scleroderma, SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disease characterized by excessive production of collagen and multiorgan involvement. Scleroderma patients are at increased risk of influenza complications and pneumonia; thus, vaccinations are recommended. This systematic review evaluated the influenza and pneumococcus vaccination coverage for SSc patients. We included all studies from Pubmed reporting on influenza and pneumococcal vaccination rate in Scleroderma patients up to May 2021. The 14 studies thus selected identified a suboptimal vaccination rate in autoimmune and SSc patients, ranging from 28 to 59% for the flu vaccine, and from 11 to 58% for the pneumo vaccine in absence of specific vaccination campaigns, variously considering also other variables such as age, gender, vaccination settings, and possible vaccination campaigns. We also considered the reasons for low coverage and the approaches that might increase the vaccination rates. A lack of knowledge about the importance of vaccination in these patients and their doctors underlined the need to increase the awareness for vaccination in this patients\u2019 category. Current guidelines recommend vaccination in elderly people and people affected by particular conditions that widely overlap with SSc, yet autoimmune diseases are not always clearly mentioned. Improving this suboptimal vaccination rate with clear guidelines is crucial for SSc patients and for clinicians to immunize these categories based principally on the pathology, prior to the age. Recommendations by the immunologist and the direct link to the vaccine providers can highly improve the vaccine coverage.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines9111330","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,15]],"date-time":"2021-11-15T20:46:47Z","timestamp":1637009207000},"page":"1330","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":11,"title":["Flu and Pneumococcal Vaccine Coverage in Scleroderma Patients Still Need to Be Prompted: A Systematic Review"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"9","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4979-9397","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca","family":"Rosamilia","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Biostatistics Unit, Health Science Department (DISSAL), University of Genova, Via Pastore 1, 16132 Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giovanni","family":"Noberasco","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccines and Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-6167-0708","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dario","family":"Olobardi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccines and Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2433-9610","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Andrea","family":"Orsi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccines and Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy"},{"name":"Hygiene Unit, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino IRCCS, 16132 Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8463-8487","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Giancarlo","family":"Icardi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Vaccines and Clinical Trials Unit, Department of Health Sciences, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy"},{"name":"Hygiene Unit, Ospedale Policlinico San Martino IRCCS, 16132 Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8923-0165","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Francesca","family":"Lantieri","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Biostatistics Unit, Health Science Department (DISSAL), University of Genova, Via Pastore 1, 16132 Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Giuseppe","family":"Murdaca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Departments of Internal Medicine, University of Genova, 16132 Genova, Italy"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,11,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"754","DOI":"10.1016\/j.autrev.2012.02.001","article-title":"Updated assessment of the prevalence, spectrum and case definition of autoimmune disease","volume":"11","author":"Hayter","year":"2012","journal-title":"Autoimmun. 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