WOW! Hepatitis B Vaccine May be Associated with Increased Risk of MS

[Guest guest]

http://www.gmtoday.com/news/local_stories/2004/September_04/09132004_09.asp

Hepatitis B Vaccine May be Associated with Increased Risk of MS

Libraries

Medical News   Keywords

MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS MS HEPATITIS B VACCINE MA

Contact InformationAvailable for logged-in reporters only

DescriptionThe popular hypothesis that the hepatitis B vaccine is associated

with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis has been scientifically

corroborated through a study in the United Kingdom.

Newswise — The popular hypothesis that the hepatitis B vaccine is associated

with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis has been scientifically

corroborated through a prospective study of patients in the United Kingdom.

Results of

the study, and a related editorial, are reported in the September 14 issue of

Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

More than 350 million people worldwide are chronically infected with the

hepatitis B virus. Of these, 65 million will die from cirrhosis or liver cancer

–

approximately 5,000 per year in the United States. The hepatitis B vaccine,

considered one of the safest vaccines ever produced, is more than 95 percent

effective in preventing chronic hepatitis B infection, and is the first vaccine

against a major human cancer.

In 1996, about 200 cases of MS (and other central nervous system

demyelinating disorders) following hepatitis B vaccination were reported in

France,

prompting the French government to suspend routine immunization of

pre-adolescents

in schools. The potential link between vaccination against hepatitis B and an

increased risk of MS has since been evaluated in several studies, with limited

success.

Hernán, MD, DrPH, of Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, led a

team of researchers in conducting a study using the General Practice Research

Database (GPRD) in the UK. The GPRD tracks many aspects of healthcare

utilization, treatments, and adverse events in the UK, and comprises five

percent of the

UK population, or three million Britons, with data starting from 1987.

Using the GPRD, researchers identified patients who had a first MS diagnosis

recorded between January 1993 and December 2000, and immunizations data was

obtained from the computer records. “Our analyses include 163 cases of MS and

1,604 controls,†noted Hernán. “We estimated that immunization against

hepatitis B was associated with a three-fold increase in the incidence of MS

within

the three years following vaccination.â€

Hernán cautions that any considerations regarding the administration of

hepatitis B vaccine must take into account the large benefits derived from the

prevention of a common and potentially lethal infection. “Our study cannot

distinguish whether the vaccine hastens the onset of MS in persons destined to

dev

elop the disease years later, or whether it causes new cases of MS in

susceptible

individuals. It is also important to stress that 93 percent of the MS cases

in our study had not been vaccinated,†concluded Hernán. Further research is

required to determine the reasons for the association between hepatitis B

vaccine and MS.

The study was supported by a grant from the National Multiple Sclerosis

Society.

The American Academy of Neurology, an association of more than 18,000

neurologists and neuroscience professionals, is dedicated to improving patient

care

through education and research. A neurologist is a doctor with specialized

training in diagnosing, treating and managing disorders of the brain and nervous

system such as multiple sclerosis, restless legs syndrome, Alzheimer’s

disease,

narcolepsy, and stroke.

For more information about the American Academy of Neurology, visit its

Website at www.aan.com.