Huffington Post Article on Vaccines, Autism, and Mitochondrial Disorder

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The Next Big Autism Bomb: Are 1 in 50 Kids Potentially At Risk? Posted

March 26, 2008 | 09:30 PM (EST)

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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-kirby/the-next-big-autism-bomb_b_93627.html

On Tuesday, March 11, a conference call was held between vaccine safety

officials at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, several leading

experts in vaccine safety research, and executives from America's Health

Insurance Plans, (the HMO trade association) to discuss childhood mitochondrial

dysfunction and its potential link to autism and vaccines.

It was a sobering event for all concerned, and it could soon become known as

the Conference Call heard 'round the world.

The teleconference was scheduled by a little known CDC agency called the

Clinical Immunization Safety Assessment (CISA) Network, a consortium of six

research centers working on " immunization-associated health risks, " in

conjunction with the CDC's Immunization Safety Office and the health insurance

lobby -- whose companies cover some 200 million Americans.

The hot topic of the day was mitochondria - the little powerhouses within each

cell that convert food and oxygen into energy for use by the body. Recent news

events have implicated mitochondria in at least one case of regressive autism,

following normal development.

Some researchers on the call reported that mitochondrial dysfunction is

probably much more common than the current estimate of 1-in-4,000 people. The

potential implications for autism, then, are staggering.

" We need to find out if there is credible evidence, theoretically, to support

the idea that childhood mitochondrial dysfunction might regress into autism, "

one of the callers reportedly told participants.

" THE CLOCK IS TICKING "

One person on the call (those interviewed for this article asked to remain

anonymous) told me that, " the CDC people were informed, in no uncertain terms,

that they need to look into this issue immediately, and do something about it. "

The clock is ticking, they were told, and if they don't respond, the information

will be made public.

Still, the doctor said, he was enormously impressed by the " seriousness " with

which CDC officials treated the possibility of a link between mitochondria,

autism and possibly vaccines as well.

In the recent landmark Hannah Poling case, filed in Federal " Vaccine Court, "

officials conceded that Hannah's underlying mitochondrial dysfunction was

aggravated by her vaccines, leading to fever and an " immune stimulation that

exceeded metabolic reserves. "

But on March 6, CDC Director Dr. Gerberding claimed that Hannah's case

was a rare, virtually one-of-a-kind incident with little, if any relevance to

the other 4,900 autism claims currently pending in the court -- or to any other

case of autism for that matter.(There were conflicting accounts about whether

Gerberding was on the call or not).

Since then, however, Dr. Gerberding and other CDC officials were made aware of

a Portuguese study, published last October, which reported that 7.2% of children

with autism had confirmed mitochondrial disorders. The authors also noted that,

" a diversity of associated medical conditions was documented in 20%, with an

unexpectedly high rate of mitochondrial respiratory chain disorders. "

" Apparently, the Portuguese study really got their attention, " one of the

participants said. " It's a highly significant finding. And it's worrisome enough

to definitely look into. I think the CDC people know that. "

They also know that some reports estimate the rate of mitochondrial

dysfunction in autism to be 20% or more. And the rate among children with the

regressive sub-type of autism is likely higher still.

Vaccine safety officials on the March 11 call may have been open to discussing

mitochondria and autism, but they were probably highly unprepared for what was

to come next.

One doctor reported his findings from a five-year study of children with

autism, who also showed clinical markers for impaired cellular energy, due to

mild dysfunction of their mitochondria.

The biochemistry of 30 children was studied intensively, and in each case, the

results showed the same abnormalities as those found in Hannah Poling,

participants said. Each child had moderate elevations or imbalances in the exact

same amino acids and liver enzymes as Hannah Poling.

All thirty children also displayed normal, healthy development until about

18-24 months of age, when they quickly regressed into clinically diagnosed

autism (and not merely " features of autism " ), following some type of unusual

trigger, or stress, placed on their immune system.

Researchers explained on the call that some data show that mitochondrial

dysfunction can convert into autism " in numbers that make it not a rare

occurrence, " one participant told me. They explained this as " a distinct

syndrome; not a mixed bag at all. Every kid had mild mitochondria dysfunction

and autistic regression. "

Another surprise came when one researcher announced an " inheritance pattern "

that linked each case through the genetics of the father: In families where two

cousins had autism, the genetic link was always through the father.

This unexpected discovery would clearly implicate nuclear DNA inheritance, and

not mitochondrial DNA, which is inherited only through the mother.

Gerberding and others had previously insisted that Hannah and her mother, Teri

Poling, both had the same single point mutation in their mitochondrial DNA. CDC

officials asserted that Hannah had a pre-existing disease, a rare genetic glitch

in her mitochondria, that may well have manifested as " features of autism " on

its own, perhaps even without an environmental trigger.

" It's not in the mitochondrial DNA, and it's not rare, " one participant

confirmed. In fact, he said, many people probably carry the nuclear DNA mutation

that confers susceptibility to mitochondrial dysfunction, they just don't know

it.

1-in-50 GENETIC RISK?

On the call, speculation on the prevalence of a genetic mutation that could

confer mild mitochondrial dysfunction in the general population ranged from

about 1-in-400, to a staggering 1-in-50, or 2% of all Americans.

There was talk about the urgent need to do mapping studies, and find the locus

of this gene. Some of the researchers said they want to test all 30 children for

the actual DNA mutation. There was some expectation that they might discover

that the mutation goes back generations, so parents and grandparents might be

tested as well.

One belief is that a particular mutated gene may have become prevalent over the

centuries, because of selective advantage. Mild mitochondrial dysfunction

reportedly has been associated with intelligence, because it can increase

activity of the brain's NMDA receptors. A large number of receptors can produce

increased intelligence, but it can also increase risk of brain disease, one

doctor explained to me. It's possible that increased receptor activity acts in

same way.

But not everyone agrees that mitochondrial dysfunction is a purely inherited

affair. Some researchers believe that, while a susceptibility gene for

mitochondrial problems certainly exists, some type of environmental trigger, or

" adversity, " as one doctor put it, is needed to turn the mutation into a

dysfunction.

The medical literature is replete with studies on mitochondrial health and the

adverse impact of mercury, aluminum and other toxins. Even AIDS drugs like AZT

and prenatal alcohol consumption can damage mitochondria and impact cellular

energy.

The mercury-containing vaccine preservative, thimerosal, for example, " can

definitely kill cells in vitro through the mitochondria, " one teleconference

participant told me. " And some people are beginning to suspect that the dose of

hepatitis B vaccine given at birth might be interfering with proper

mitochondrial function in certain children. "

While the cause of mitochondrial dysfunction is up for the debate, so too is

its potential effect on regressive autism.

All the researchers I spoke with agreed that, in many cases, there was an

underlying, asymptomatic mitochondrial dysfunction, aggravated by some other

stressful event imposed on the child's immune system, resulting in autism.

Such " metabolic decomposition " occurs when a child's system simply " cannot

meet the energy demand needed to fight the stress of illness, " one doctor

explained.

But what causes the stress? That is a very big question.

Apparently, in only two of the 30 cases, or 6%, could the regression be traced

directly and temporally to immunizations, and one of them was Hannah Poling. In

the other cases, there was reportedly some type of documented, fever-inducing

viral infection that occurred within seven days of the onset of brain injury

symptoms.

All 30 of the regressions occurred between one and two years of age, at a time

when the still-developing brain is particularly vulnerable to injury.

But if a significant minority of autism cases was caused by mitochondrial

dysfunction aggravated by common childhood illnesses, then shouldn't we see

fewer cases today than, say, at the beginning of the 20th Century? And wouldn't

developing countries likewise show far more prevalence of autism than the United

States?

Not necessarily, some experts said. They noted that many viral infections are

still quite prevalent in modern-day America, and many children still get these

types of viral infections about once a month, on average.

If that is the case, then why doesn't every child with " mito " dysfunction

regress into autism? Surely, they must encounter viral infections during their

yearlong window of neurological peril.

Again, not necessarily: Some doctors said it would depend on the severity of

the dysfunction, the type of virus encountered, and perhaps other factors that

are still not understood.

But at least two of the 30 kids with mito deficiencies were pushed over the

edge into autism by their vaccines, and some researchers feel the number is

probably much higher than that in the larger population.

" Vaccines, in some cases, can cause an unusually heightened immune reaction,

fever, and even mild illness, " one participant said. " A normal vaccine reaction

in most kids would be very different in a kid with a metabolic disorder. We know

it happened to at least two kids in this study, and I'm certain there are many

more Hannahs out there. "

One theory currently in circulation about what happened to Hannah and other

children like her, is an apparent " triple domino effect. " According to this

hypothesis, it takes three steps and two triggers to get to some types of

autism, and it goes like this:

STEP ONE: Child is conceived and born healthy, but with an underlying nuclear

DNA genetic susceptibility to mitochondrial dysfunction, inherited from dad.

TRIGGER ONE: An early environmental " adversity " occurs in the womb or during

the neonatal period, perhaps caused by prenatal exposure to heavy metals,

pollutants, pesticides and medicines. Or, it occurs in early infancy, through

environmental toxins, thimerosal exposure, or even the Hepatitis B vaccine

" birth dose. " This trigger results in:

STEP TWO: Child develops mild, usually asymptomatic mitochondrial dysfunction

(though I wonder if the ear infections and eczema so common in these cases might

also be symptoms of mito problems).

TRIGGER TWO: Child, now with an underlying mitochondrial dysfunction, suffers

over-stimulation of the immune system beyond the capacity of his or her

metabolic reserves. This stress is either via a viral febrile infection, or from

multiple vaccinations, as in the Poling case. This trigger results in:

STEP THREE: Acute illness, seizures, encephalopathy, developmental regression,

autism.

Such a scenario might help explain why autism has increased right along with

the addition of more vaccines to the national schedule.

And it might help explain why autism rates are not plummeting now that

thimerosal levels have been significantly reduced in most childhood vaccines.

It's possible that exposures from the flu shot, and residual mercury left over

in other vaccines -- perhaps in synergistic effect with aluminum used as an

" adjuvant " to boost the immune response - might " contribute to the toxic mix

that causes childhood mitochondrial dysfunction in the first place, " one of the

doctors said.

But like many hypotheses, this one has competition. Some researchers believe

that the modern American diet is largely to blame for an increase in the number

of children whose underlying mitochondrial dysfunction is " triggered " into

autism by febrile infections.

The answer, they hypothesize, is corn.

The American diet has become extraordinarily dependent on corn oil and corn

syrup used in processing, these experts contend. They say that corn oil and

syrup are inflammatory, whereas fish oil is anti-inflammatory. Could our diet be

a factor in making this mutated gene become more pathogenic? It's a biochemical

defect that leads to biochemical disease, supporters of this theory say: The

gene itself becomes more of a problem.

WHAT NOW?

This information raises so many questions it makes your head swim.

First and foremost among them: What to do about vaccinating children with

known mitochondrial dysfunction?

In many respects, these kids should be first in line for vaccination, to

prevent some illnesses that might trigger an autistic regression during the

window of vulnerability. On the other hand, with multiple vaccinations, such as

the case with Hannah, there is also a risk of overtaxing the immune system, and

likewise triggering regression into autism.

What's needed most urgently, if possible, is a quick, affordable and efficient

method of testing children for low cellular energy, perhaps before vaccination

even begins.

There was some discussion on the conference call about altering the vaccine

schedule in some way, to lower the risk of immune over-stimulation in

susceptible children. Certainly, pressure will grow for a change in the schedule

- the question is how, when, and if such changes will be made.

Some of the suggestions may not be popular among public health officials. They

include:

1) Establishing a maximum number of vaccine antigens to which any child could

be exposed on any given day.

2) Permitting the option of separating out the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR)

live virus combination vaccines into three distinct " monovalent " shots.

3) Not giving the varicella vaccine (chicken pox) on the same day as the MMR

injection - the CDC recently withdrew is recommendation for the Pro-Quad

MMR+Varicella vaccine because it doubled the risk of seizures.

Another option is to create new " recommendations for administering multiple

vaccines to children who have fallen behind in the recommended childhood

immunization schedule, " according to the website of the Institute for Vaccine

Safety at s Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Hannah had missed some shots and her doctor decided to " catch up " with the

schedule by administering five shots, containing nine vaccine antigens, at once.

But some autism activists have pointed out that giving five shots in one day is

not that uncommon.

Moreover, they claim, many children regressed into autism following normal

vaccination, when the parents religiously adhered to the official schedule.

According to the s Hopkins site, " Additional research is needed to

determine if other children with autism, especially those with 'the regressive

form' of autism, have the same or similar underlying mitochondrial dysfunction

disorders. "

It adds that, " the advisory groups who make recommendations regarding vaccines

will undoubtedly examine this case carefully and make decisions regarding the

potential need for changes. "

That day may come sooner than you think. It was just announced that, on April

11 in Washington, DC, the National Vaccine Program Office at HHS will convene a

meeting of the National Vaccine Advisory Committee's Vaccine Safety Working

Group. The Working Group was established to go over the CDC's Immunization

Safety Office draft research agenda, and to, " review the current vaccine safety

system. "

The meeting is open to the public, and I have my seat reserved. But I honestly

don't envy the Working Group's very tricky task at hand.

It remains to be seen how all this plays out. And many important questions

still lie ahead.

For example, if mitochondrial dysfunction turns out to be as common as

200-per-10,000, and autism is now at 66 per 10,000, did anything bad happen to

any of the other 134-per-10,000 children, apart from autism (i.e., ADD, ADHD,

speech delay, etc.)?

Moreover, if 10-20% of autism cases can actually be traced to an underlying

mitochondrial dysfunction, then what about the majority of autism cases where

this did not come into play?

And, if 20% of autism cases are mito related, and 6% of those cases regressed

because of vaccines, that would mean that at least 1% of all autism cases were

vaccine related. Some estimates of autism go as high as a million Americans -

that would mean 10,000 people with vaccine-triggered autism, and billions of

dollars in the cost of lifetime care.

(While we are on the subject, isn't it time to fund a study of vaccinated and

unvaccinated children, to settle this debate once and for all?)

Finally, the goals of the CISA Network, (which convened the teleconference)

are rather progressive and far reaching. It remains to be seen how well the

Network fulfills its stated mission, which includes:

Conduct research into " the role of individual variation " on vaccine injury;

" Empower individuals to make informed immunization decisions; "

Help policy makers " in the recommendation of exclusion criteria for at-risk

individuals, " and;

" Enhance public confidence in sustaining immunization benefits for all

populations "

Let's see how long it takes before Network members hang out the proverbial

banner: " Mission Accomplished. "

M. Guppy

Autism is a very silent world; but the potential in that world speaks

volumes.... Texas Autism Advocacy: www.TexasAutismAdvocacy.org

" There are some aspects of a person's life that we have no right to

compromise. We cannot negotiate the size of an institution. No one should live

in one. We cannot debate who should get an inclusive education. Everyone

should. We cannot determine who does and who does not get the right to make

their own choices and forge their own futures. All must. "