Understanding Being Immunocompromised

Something to Think About

My husband, Lynn, began taking Ocrevus^® (ocrelizumab), to treat his primary-progressive multiple sclerosis (PPMS) in March. As his caregiver, one of my responsibilities is to become familiar with his medicines and their risks. While Ocrevus holds great promise for people with PPMS, the impact of having your immunity continuously compromised is a significant consideration.

How Ocrevus Works

If you are unfamiliar with Ocrevus, you’re probably not alone. People taking Ocrevus receive it every 6 months by infusion. It works by breaking down the B-cells in the immune system so they can no longer work. The B and T cells work together to create antibodies to fight off invasions of “bad guys” trying to attack the body.^1,2

With MS, the B/T cell team doesn’t work correctly. Instead of attacking the bad guys, they perceive their host’s body (i.e., your body) as being invaded by the enemy and attack it.^1,2

Immunocompromised Explained

That’s where they get the term “autoimmune”– “auto,” meaning “self” or “attacking self,” in this case. The immune system attacks what it believes to be both internal and external enemies.³

Unfortunately, the flaw in this plan is that when the foreign enemy attacks, they slip right into the front door that Ocrevus left standing wide open. This means a person taking Ocrevus has some immunity but is severely compromised. Since the person has some immunity remaining, the term used is “immunocompromised” rather than “immunosuppressed,” where no immunity occurs.¹

The Impact of Being Immunocompromised

Okay, what exactly does that big word immunocompromised mean in everyday English? What’s the real impact? It’s significant and rather frustrating because it’s not something usually considered a risk factor for people who have MS.⁴

Most doctors know people with MS have an autoimmune component to their condition. However, if you mention that you are immunocompromised, they may think you are getting autoimmune mixed up with immunocompromised. They may ignore you unless you take information to show them what you mean. My husband was a patient this past week. No precautions, except a private room I requested so I could stay with him, were planned until I explained he was taking a drug that made him immunocompromised.

Reducing Risks if You’re Immunocompromised

The following are some of my observations regarding risk factors if you are immunocompromised and suggestions for reducing risks in healthcare facilities.

1. Ask that your medical record be prominently labeled as immunocompromised. You want any healthcare worker you encounter to know you are at increased infection risk. Therefore, if they have an active infection or may be contagious from exposure, they will be forewarned and take appropriate precautions.
2. Ask for an armband labeled “immunocompromised” and a sign on your door saying the same.  If the hospital doesn’t have one available, ask them to make one. They can write the word on your armband or paper and use it for you. Explain that you want individuals who do not have access to your chart to know the risks before entering your room– the same rationale as before.
3. If admitted for a possible infection, ask them to obtain a specimen of whatever bodily fluid might be appropriate before starting you on antibiotics. Otherwise, you will receive a heavy-hitter broad-spectrum antibiotic designed to kill everything in its path to treat your potential infection. While that sounds good, it’s not. In the long term, if you use broad-spectrum antibiotics too often, the germs build up a resistance to the antibiotic and can make the use of the drug unavailable in the future.  That’s how “superbugs” occur. They become “antibiotic resistant.”  That spells trouble.  No longer can the top gun drug be used to treat the potentially life-threatening infection. Therefore, try to convince them always to use the organism-specific antibiotic first, and save the big guns for the major battles.
4. Ask for a mask when traveling through patient care areas, including sitting in waiting rooms.
5. Request a private room.
6. Carry hand sanitizer with you everywhere and use it.
7. Never eat at a buffet. Anywhere. Visualize a spray of germs coming from an open mouth or nose traveling 3 to 5 feet from the said mouth over the entire salad area while, at the same time, someone is picking up pieces of food dropped from their plate and returning it to the bowls with their fingers that just picked their runny nose. Need any other reason?
8. Explain to everyone that they are contagious at least 24 hours before symptoms appear and several days after symptoms go away. Stay away if exposed to anyone with an infectious disease spread by coughing, sneezing, diarrhea, vomiting, or touching. Also, stay away if they have a fever, chills, body aches, etc., for at least 48 hours after symptoms are no longer present. Ask your coworkers to do the same.

Resistance to Infection Must be Taken Seriously.

When you are immunocompromised, you must always remain diligent. Limit your time in public areas. Don’t go out shopping or to public areas during the flu or cold season. Tell family and friends to visit via video chat if they have been sick.

Your resistance to infection is real and must be taken seriously. Always take reasonable precautions while you remain on Ocrevus. I believe the medicine has excellent potential to improve the lives of MS family members, but we must also respect the potential side effects.

References

1. Ocrevus- ocrelizumab. Prescribing information. DailyMed; 2023. Available at https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=9da42362-3bb5-4b83-b4bb-b59fd4e55f0d. Accessed 8/7/2023.
2. Comi G, Bar-Or A, Lassmann H, et al. Role of B Cells in Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders. Ann Neurol. 2021;89(1):13-23. doi:10.1002/ana.25927.

This article originally appeared on Multiplesclerosis.Net by Health-Union, LLC, and has been reposted with permission.