RESEARCH - Consequence or coincidence? The occurrence, pathogenesis and significance of autoimmune manifestations after viral vaccines

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Vaccine. 2005 Jun 10;23(30):3876-86. Epub 2005 Apr 7.

Consequence or coincidence? The occurrence, pathogenesis and

significance of autoimmune manifestations after viral vaccines.

Schattner A.

Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, School of Clinical

Medicine, Level 5, Addenbrooke's Hospital, Hills Road, Cambridge CB2

2QQ, UK.

BACKGROUND: Viruses and virus-induced lymphokines may have an

important role in the pathogenesis of autoimmunity (Schattner A. Clin

Immunol Immunopathol; 1994). The occurrence and significance of

autoimmune manifestations after the administration of viral vaccines

remain controversial.

METHODS: Medline search of all relevant publications from 1966 through

June 2004 with special emphasis on search of each individual

autoimmune manifestation and vaccination, as well as specifically

searching each viral vaccine for all potential autoimmune syndromes

reported. All relevant publications were retrieved and critically

analyzed.

RESULTS: The most frequently reported autoimmune manifestations for

the various vaccinations, were: hepatitis A virus (HAV)--none;

hepatitis B virus (HBV)--rheumatoid arthritis, reactive arthritis,

vasculitis, encephalitis, neuropathy, thrombocytopenia; measles, mumps

and rubella vaccine (MMR)--acute arthritis or arthralgia, chronic

arthritis, thrombocytopenia; influenza--Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS),

vasculitis; polio--GBS; varicella--mainly neurological syndromes. Even

these 'frequent' associations relate to a relatively small number of

patients. Whenever controlled studies of autoimmunity following viral

vaccines were undertaken, no evidence of an association was found.

CONCLUSIONS: Very few patients may develop some autoimmune diseases

following viral vaccination (in particular - arthropathy, vasculitis,

neurological dysfunction and thrombocytopenia). For the overwhelming

majority of people, vaccines are safe and no evidence linking viral

vaccines with type 1 diabetes, multiple sclerosis (MS) or inflammatory

bowel disease can be found.

PMID: 15917108

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15917108

Not an MD