
	Medical Edge


	About

	Television

	Radio

	Newspaper

		Participating Newspapers

	Magazine

	Contact


	About Mayo Clinic

	Make an Appointment at Mayo Clinic

Medical Edge Newspaper Column from Mayo Clinic

IMMUNIZATION MUSTS FOR COLLEGE-BOUND STUDENTS

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: The youngest of our four children just completed her back-to-school checkup and finished her shots. Now that the youngest is all vaccinated and up-to-date, I wonder about my oldest. She’ll be going to college next year. What does she need in this day and age of a new disease every year? Is it different for me? I’m 48. — Fargo, N.D.

ANSWER: I recommend all college-bound children be up-to-date with immunizations against tetanus-diphtheria, measles, mumps, rubella and hepatitis B. In addition, she should be immunized against meningococcal disease because of the increased risk in this population of meningitis, which is an infection of the brain and spinal-cord coverings.

She should discuss this with her personal physician, of course, and be sure to ask his or her opinion on whether she needs an annual influenza vaccine. If she has compromised health in any way, it would be a good idea to get it. If she has chronic health issues such as diabetes, lung disease or heart disease, the pneumococcal vaccine is also recommended.

It may be a touchy subject for family discussion, but sexual activity also bears upon what immunizations she should have. For example, it’s likely that in the next few years she may be able to get a new vaccine to prevent cervical cancer. This is recommended for sexually active women because it makes a woman immune to the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus — the leading cause of cervical cancer.

Encourage your daughter to be honest with her caregiver, and emphasize your support that she seek out the advice of the campus health service early on just to get “plugged in” to the system that is closest to the pulse of campus life.

As regards your own vaccine profile: In general, I recommend that all women who are 50 or older get an annual influenza vaccine. You and your physician know your health status best. If you have chronic health problems, the influenza vaccine is a good choice now. In addition, be sure your tetanus-diphtheria vaccine is up to date every 10 years. And if you travel, additional vaccines may be recommended by specialists at a travel clinic.

While the risks of immunization vary with each vaccine, in general, modern vaccines are safe and effective. Complications such as high fever are rare. More likely, if there were a reaction, it would be a low-grade fever, fatigue and muscle aches, which disappear in a few hours to a day or two. The potential devastation posed by the diseases themselves is far greater than any harm resulting from a vaccine.

Gregory Poland, M.D., Director, Mayo Clinic Vaccine Research Group,
Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn.

Additional Resources:
Immunizations Clinic
Appointment Information
More Information on Immunizations

READERS: Fatigue is one of the most common side effects of cancer. But why do some cancer patients get more tired than others, feel more stress and generally have a harder time coping with their condition?
To find out, researchers searched for a possible link between a cancer patient’s genetic makeup and quality of life. It was the first study of its kind, and results were presented this June at the annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. While the findings are preliminary and need further research, they also seem to hold promise for improving cancer treatments. Here’s what they found:
By studying DNA in 494 cancer patients’ blood samples, scientists found that patients with two variant forms of a gene known as DPYD were less likely to report feeling tired than other patients with the gene. Scientists also learned that patients with a specific genetic marker were more likely to report stress and fatigue than other patients who lacked the marker.
The goal of this research is to get information from a person’s genetic makeup that will enable scientists to design cancer treatments tailored to the unique quality-of-life issues of each patient. Just as medical treatments are now tailored to meet a person’s unique biology and tumor traits, individualized quality-of-life cancer treatments could reduce the emotional burden of cancer.
- - -

Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic is an educational resource and doesn’t replace regular medical care. To e-mail a question, go to www.mayoclinic.org, or write: Medical Edge from Mayo Clinic, c/o TMS, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, N.Y., 14207. For health information, visit www.mayoclinic.com.