Federal clinical guidelines on preventive vaccination against pneumococcal infections in adults

Abstract

The Federal Guidelines on preventive vaccination against pneumococcal infections in adults were developed by experts of Russian Respiratory Society and National Non-profit Association of Specialists for Control Healthcare-Associated Infections. Studies published during the previous 5 years were selected from EMBASE, MEDLINE, and PubMed databases and the Cochrane library and were reviewed by independent experts with consideration of practical physicians’ opinions. The results of this analysis underlay the guidelines. Quality of evidence and strength of recommendations were assessed according to widespread criteria. The guidelines include epidemiology, social burden, pathogenesis, and clinical course of pneumococcal infections, characteristic of vaccines used to prevent pneumococcal infections and special considerations of preventive vaccination in patients with comorbidity and in risk groups. The experts discussed efficacy of preventive vaccination and postvaccinal reactions. The guidelines meet the requirements of Healthcare Ministry of Russian Federation.