Quicktopic posts: Oct 2003

[Brian Taylor]

Rosemary

Thanks for the reply, I had two grafts in 1996 but rejection occurred in the left in Dec 2001. I have asked my Dr to look into the question but as yet don't have an answer. I would be grateful for any input
especially from the medical profession, the general advice given on the American Keratoconus forum seems to be against the flu jab after corneal grafts but as yet no one has said why there Drs have given them this advise.

Can anyone help?


Brian


< replied-to message removed by QT >

[umbilica@umbilical.demon.]

Brian says:
the general advice given
on the American Keratoconus forum seems to be against the flu
jab after corneal grafts but as yet no one has said why there
Drs have given them this advise.

Can anyone help?


One obvious reason: if one is still on immunosuppressant drugs
after the transplant (any transplant), or after a rejection
episode, then having any jabs would be a bad idea (and
particularly ones with "live" vaccine). The idea is that the
body's immune system's instinctive reaction to the transplanted
bit is to view it as an invader and try to fight it off, as it
would try to fight off the hostile invaders (viruses, bacteria,
etc) that give us diseases. So after a transplant they give you drugs that suppress the immune system so it doesn't fight the
transplanted bit - but that also means that it can't fight off
anything else either! - so it might be possible to get flu from
the flu jab, rather than the jab teach your natural immune
system how to fend it off. Even if you don't catch anything,
the job is unlikely to do much good.

Another possible reason might be: they are worried that anything that boosts your natural immune system (by teaching it how to
fight the new strain of flu, for example) might, by making it
hypersensitive to invaders, trigger off a rejection episode.
I'm guessing a bit here as to whether this is really likely -
and why it should be any worse than the risks if you do actually get flu - but I suppose it's possible they are concerned about
it. (There is also the issue of the litigation culture in the
USA these days - doctors have been known to recommend against
things just in case it goes wrong and the patient sues the pants off them.)

Hope you get it sorted out - I had my flu jab a couple of weeks
ago, after deciding in the past few years they were well worth
it.

Rosemary

--
Rosemary F. Johnson

[Brian Taylor]

Rosemary

Thanks for your input on the question of the pros and cons of the flu jab after a corneal graft.
I went along and had mine today after my GP said he had checked and couldn't find any reason why I shouldn't have the jab.
If you don't mind me asking do you have any particular medical
background, your comments make good sense to me. Do you mind if I post your reply on the American forum to see if I can extract from them a good reason why some of their Drs advise against the flu jab. I did read one email on there tonight where a Doc sent the patient who received a graft on 16 th Oct for the jab so there seems to be mixed views.

Regards Brian

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