Immunity

[Bessy01]

Had SLE since 2010 suffered with lots of chest and urine infections because of the medication so 2 years ago I stopped taking all, my consultant wasn’t happy but fed up with being in pain all the time , anyway now my immune system is now working overtime my ESR is currently 70 which is pretty high I have never been any lower than 28 even with taking meds. My question is do I have the Oxford vaccine given it boosts your immune system and what affect it may have.

[Spanielmadlady]

Surely that is a question for your consultant and even they might not be able to answer it.Vaccines are designed to prime your body so it recognises the threat in the future should you encounter it which given the fact covid is so deadly surely is a good thing.

[Paul_Howard Partner LUPUS UK]

Hi Bessy01 ,

The COVID-19 vaccines currently approved for use in the UK are all generally recommended for people with lupus. You can read more about this in our information and guidance at lupusuk.org.uk/covid19-vacc...

At this time there is limited clinical evidence of the potential effects of the vaccines in people with autoimmune conditions, but so far in the UK over 4 million people have had at least their first dose and no serious adverse effects have been reported, beyond a contraindication of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for people with a history of severe allergic reactions.

If you have a look through posts in this community, you'll see some members have been sharing their experiences of the vaccines.

[WinterSwimmer]

Bessy - with an ESR of 70 - surely you are at least considering taking some medication for the Lupus again? Lupus can do long term and permanent damage to the body if not controlled. I know the drugs are horrid, and maybe (like I did, to begin with) you resent being told you are have an incurable illness when half the time you feel ok. But I do think that an ESR of 70 is no small matter - and is a quite separate issue from the vaccination issue.