Do Vaccines Trigger Neurological Diseases? Epidemiological Evaluation of Vaccination and Neurological Diseases Using Examples of Multiple Sclerosis, Guillain-Barré Syndrome and Narcolepsy

Overview

Journal CNS Drugs

Specialties Neurology
Pharmacology

Date 2019 Oct 3

PMID 31576507

Citations 12

Authors

Julia Stowe

Nick Andrews

Elizabeth Miller

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

This article evaluates the epidemiological evidence for a relationship between vaccination and neurological disease, specifically multiple sclerosis, Guillain-Barré syndrome and narcolepsy. The statistical methods used to test vaccine safety hypotheses are described and the merits of different study designs evaluated; these include the cohort, case-control, case-coverage and the self-controlled case-series methods. For multiple sclerosis, the evidence does not support the hypothesized relationship with hepatitis B vaccine. For Guillain-Barré syndrome, the evidence suggests a small elevated risk after influenza vaccines, though considerably lower than after natural influenza infection, with no elevated risk after human papilloma virus vaccine. For narcolepsy, there is strong evidence of a causal association with one adjuvanted vaccine used in the 2009/10 influenza pandemic. Rapid investigation of vaccine safety concerns, however biologically implausible, is essential to maintain public and professional confidence in vaccination programmes.

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