Articles

Vaccination policy in adult patients with hematological malignancies or asplenia without stem cell transplantation: Recommendations from the advisory board on vaccination of the Belgian Hematological Society

BJH - volume 11, issue 7, november 2020

J. Loos MD, M. Beckers MD, PhD, V. Beckers MD, M. Hoyoux MD, prof. dr. W. Peetermans MD, PhD, A. Van De Velde MD, PhD, V. Van Hende MD, A. Vanderfaeillie MD, Y. Van Laethem MD, PhD, A. Janssens MD, PhD

SUMMARY

Patients with hematological malignancies suffer from widely varying degrees of immunodeficiency, which leads to an increased susceptibility to a wide range of infections. Some of these, such as influenza and invasive pneumococcal disease, are vaccine preventable. During the Covid19 pandemic these past months patients with hematological malignancies have already shown to be at greater risk of dying, with mortality rates of up to 30% in hospitalized patients.1,2 This has once again highlighted the importance of robust and widely spread vaccination strategies, also we eagerly await an available vaccine for Covid19. In this review, the advisory board on vaccination of the Belgian Hematological Society (BHS), consisting of experts from various disease committees as well as two infectious disease experts attempts to provide clear recommendations regarding vaccinations in patients with hematological malignancies and asplenia. Although transplant recipients share many of the immunodeficiencies of those not transplanted, clear guidelines and vaccination schedules have already been published.3

(BELG J HEMATOL 2020;11(7):305-316)

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BHS clinical guidelines on the management of acute complications in sickle cell disease

BJH - volume 10, issue 4, june 2019

T. van Genechten MD, A. Vanderfaeillie MD, M.A. Azerad MD, D. Kieffer PhD, PharmD, V. Labarque MD, PhD, B. Gulbis MD, PhD, A. Ferster MD, PhD, B. De Wilde MD, PhD

With the increasing prevalence of sickle cell disease patients in Western countries, it is of importance to improve awareness among medical doctors of its complications. To reduce long-term morbidity and mortality, the prompt recognition and treatment of acute complications is important. The existing clinical guideline ‘Follow-up and treatment of patients with sickle cell disease hospitalised for Vaso Occlusive Crisis or infection’, published in 2012 by the Belgian Haematological Society, was revisited to better suit the practical needs of first-line practitioners.

(BELG J HEMATOL 2019;10(4):165–8)

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P.52 Newborn screening for Sickle Cell Disease in Brussels, a program with an ongoing clinical outcome improvement

BJH - 2013, issue BHS Abstractbook, january 2013

P.-Q. Le , B. Gulbis MD, PhD, L. Dedeken , C. Heijmans , A. Vanderfaeillie MD, C. Vermylen , S. Huybrechts MD, C. Devalck , F. Cotton , B.C. Nguyen , F. Vertongen , M. Ngalula , A. Ferster MD, PhD

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