Study links autism, vaccine

metrowestdailynews.com ^ | March 2, 2006 | Jon Brodkin

[neverdem]

Autism diagnoses have dropped nationwide since mercury was removed from most childhood vaccines, according to a new study that some say lends credence to charges that vaccinations were responsible for a huge increase in autism cases.

About 4,700 families -- including ones from Framingham and Waltham -- have pending claims in a federal vaccine court alleging that mercury in vaccines caused their children to develop autism.

The allegations are controversial and viewed with skepticism by many government officials and medical professionals. But supporters of a vaccine-autism link say a new report in the peer reviewed Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons proves that the removal of mercury from vaccines has led to a decrease in autism cases.

"This study is exactly the kind of thing people have been waiting for for three years now," said Richard Deth, a neuropharmacologist at Northeastern University who has testified in front of Congress on this issue. "It was recognized that this type of data would be (necessary) to see whether this theory had validity or not."

The study by two researchers was criticized by a government vaccination official who said it drew conclusions from unreliable data.

"I don’t think this study can really be taken to provide any evidence one way or another," said Dr. Robert Davis, director of the immunization safety group at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

But the study was warmly received by Jared Hansen, a Framingham resident with two autistic children who filed a claim in the federal vaccine court.

"It’s certainly the data we’ve been expecting and waiting for. I’m glad to see it’s been published," Hansen said. "I believe it will swing some people who are sitting on the fence."

Hansen’s claim is pending in front of the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program, a no-fault system that pays financial settlements from a trust fund consisting of vaccine surcharges. The program is considering claims in one omnibus proceeding from Hansen and 4,700 other parents, including Mike Chmura of Waltham.

Between 1988 and 1992, the federal government more than doubled the amount of mercury injected into babies by recommending additional vaccines that contain thimerosal, a preservative containing mercury.

Since then, estimated autism prevalence soared from one out of 2,500 births to one in every 166. Federal officials say the increase is at least partly explained by changes in diagnostic guidelines, but some researchers believe mercury in vaccines is to blame.

Thimerosal is still used in flu shots, but was eliminated from most other childhood vaccines by 2003.

A father-son research team determined that new diagnoses of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders have dropped since then after analyzing data from the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, the U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Developmental Services.

Additional doses of mercury-containing vaccines were associated with a 2- to 8-fold increase in risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, they wrote in the latest issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.

"Significant decreasing trends in newly diagnosed (disorders) were observed ... from mid-2002 through 2005," wrote Dr. Mark Geier and son, David. Mark Geier is president of the Genetic Centers of America and his son is a graduate student in biochemistry at George Washington University.

Their study was criticized by officials who said the data bases the Geiers analyzed are not reliable. The Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System can contain reports filed by anyone, including doctors, patients and lawyers, Davis said.

The Department of Education numbers are skewed, another official said, because the DOE did not make autism a separate diagnosis until the 1990s. That led to an artificial increase because children who previously had different diagnoses were then considered autistic, said Dr. Marie McCormick, a Harvard professor who chaired an Institute of Medicine committee that dismissed any link between vaccines and autism.

(Jon Brodkin can be reached at 508-626-4424 or jbrodkin@cnc.com.)

[Born Conservative]

A father-son research team determined that new diagnoses of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders have dropped since then after analyzing data from the national Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, the U.S. Department of Education and the California Department of Developmental Services.

Additional doses of mercury-containing vaccines were associated with a 2- to 8-fold increase in risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, they wrote in the latest issue of the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons.

"Significant decreasing trends in newly diagnosed (disorders) were observed ... from mid-2002 through 2005," wrote Dr. Mark Geier and son, David. Mark Geier is president of the Genetic Centers of America and his son is a graduate student in biochemistry at George Washington University.

 

So, they used the VAERS database? What value is there in analyzing this database?  Read about the report submitted by a physician that the influenza vaccine turned him into The Incredible Hulk.  

Anecdotally, I received a call last fall from the CDC about a report we filed with the database about a child who got chickenpox after receiving Varivax vaccine IN 1996. It took them 9 years to follow up on the report.

[Born Conservative]

I will bet anything that he is working closely with a trial lawyer, who will later pay him very well as an expert witness as they dismantle what is left of the American vacine industry.
 

Absolutely.

[Born Conservative]

I think the key word here is COULD. I know of an autistic child whose mother went to Blockbuster throughout her pregnancy and took the child along with her for the first 2 years of his life. I guess that going to Blockbuster COULD have caused his autism. This is a totally ridiculous and unproven theory; I'm just using absurdity to illustrate absurdity.

[neverdem]

It's rare that I ping all of you back to the same thread, but comment 26 has a link of what appears to be the latest info from the FDA on "Thimerosal in Vaccines." You may want to bookmark it. Here's the chemical structure of Thimerosal that I found at a Canadian government URL. EXPOSURE TO THIMEROSAL IN VACCINES USED IN CANADIAN INFANT IMMUNIZATION PROGRAMS, WITH RESPECT TO RISK OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

It can be chemically described as C9H9HgNaO2S or ethylmercurithiosalicylic acid. Here are three other links worth considering.

AAAS: Kids Do Okay After Pregnant Moms Eat Mercury-Laden Fish

MERCURY MYTHS I have not read MERCURY MYTHS completely, just glanced at it. Caveat emptor.

Mercury and its Many Forms

What are the signs and symptoms of organic mercury poisoning?

Organic mercury compounds are very damaging. They are toxic by ingestion, inhalation, and skin and eye contact. These mercury compounds can attack all body systems.

[cyborg]

Hey believe whatever you want.

[webstersII]

Mercury is a known neurotoxin.

Sounds like you are asserting the same thing for browsing the local video rental shop.

[Born Conservative]

Sounds like you are asserting the same thing for browsing the local video rental shop.

You are taking this out of context; I explicitly stated that I was demonstrating absurdity with absuridity. If you'll look at the thread, you will see that she inferred that vaccines, pesticides, and Diet Coke causes autism.

Got Mercury? (this is an audio link; here is the printed link.; sorry, there's no specific link to this; you will have to scroll down the page to look at it).

[webstersII]

"I explicitly stated that I was demonstrating absurdity with absuridity."

You're confused. To illustrate absurdity with absurdity you have to have two things which are truly absurd. The Blockbuster thing was absurd but the other one may not be. The mercury-autism link has not been proven either way yet, so you are jumping the gun to say it's absurd.

There are researchers who think that there MAY be a link between mercury and autism (yes, I said may be). It's hard to get good data on this because it's such a political football, though.

[Antoninus]

This is the opposite of the results obtained in Denmark, where the incidence of autism actually continued to go up after the removal of thimerosal from vaccines. The jury is clearly still out.

A lot of lawyers are eying these studies with $$-signs in their eyes.

[neverdem]

Why do we need all this?

That doesn't mean every vaccine has all those ingredients. With apparently all vaccines, except influenza, coming as single unit doses, I believe they also include product information sheets that you can ask for, and which contain the ingredients. Here's the first page list of ingredients in the DTaP vaccine from http://www.fda.gov/cber/label/tdapgla122905LB.pdf

BO:LX PRESCRIBING INFORMATION BOOSTRIX®
(Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed)
DESCRIPTION BOOSTRIX® (Tetanus Toxoid, Reduced Diphtheria Toxoid and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine, Adsorbed) (Tdap) is a noninfectious, sterile, vaccine for intramuscular administration manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals. It contains tetanus toxoid, diphtheria toxoid, and pertussis antigens (inactivated pertussis toxin [PT] and formaldehyde-treated filamentous hemagglutinin [FHA] and pertactin [69 kiloDalton outer membrane protein]) adsorbed onto aluminum hydroxide. The antigens are the same as those in INFANRIX® (Diphtheria and Tetanus Toxoids and Acellular Pertussis Vaccine Adsorbed), but BOOSTRIX is formulated with reduced quantities of these antigens. Tetanus toxin is produced by growing Clostridium tetani in a modified Latham medium derived from bovine casein. The diphtheria toxin is produced by growing Corynebacterium diphtheriae in Fenton medium containing a bovine extract. The bovine materials used in these extracts are sourced from countries which the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has determined neither have nor are at risk of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). Both toxins are detoxified with formaldehyde, concentrated by ultrafiltration, and purified by precipitation, dialysis, and sterile filtration. The 3 acellular pertussis antigens (PT, FHA, and pertactin) are isolated from Bordetella pertussis culture grown in modified Stainer-Scholte liquid medium. PT and FHA are isolated from the fermentation broth; pertactin is extracted from the cells by heat treatment and flocculation. The antigens are purified in successive chromatographic and precipitation steps. PT is detoxified using glutaraldehyde and formaldehyde. FHA and pertactin are treated with formaldehyde. Each antigen is individually adsorbed onto aluminum hydroxide. All antigens are then diluted and combined to produce the final formulated vaccine. Each 0.5-mL dose is formulated to contain 2.5 Lf of diphtheria toxoid, 5 Lf of tetanus toxoid, 2.5 mcg of pertactin, 8 mcg of FHA, and 8 mcg of inactivated PT. Tetanus and diphtheria toxoid potency is determined by measuring the amount of neutralizing antitoxin in previously immunized guinea pigs. The potency of the acellular pertussis components (inactivated PT and formaldehyde-treated FHA and pertactin) is determined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) on sera from previously immunized mice. Each 0.5-mL dose also contains 4.5 mg of NaCl, aluminum adjuvant (not more than 0.39 mg aluminum by assay), ≤100 mcg of residual formaldehyde, and ≤100 mcg of polysorbate 80 (Tween 80).

1

Please pardon the lack of paragraphs. If the unit doses don't have a separate product information sheet, you can probably find it here.

http://www.fda.gov/cber/label/label.htm

[Antoninus]

I hope they find out what causes this because its heart wrenching.

Agreed. But don't jump the gun. Too many parents of autistic kids have been given false hopes by charlatans out there who are out to make a quick buck. Because of the difficulties they must endure day in and day out, parents of kids with autism are particularly vulnerable to demagogues who promise to expose those guilty for their child's condition.

[Antoninus]

Overdosed vaccines, pesticides AND a diet of coke and junk food during pregnancy deprived him of a healthy start.

There are any number of theories out there for what causes autism, but the fact remains that NO ONE is sure. What is certain is that there's a definite genetic component, though the markers haven't been identified yet. It is not at all uncommon for the parent of a child with an ASD to later on discover that they are Asperger themselves.

The good news is, with early intervention and engaged parents, many of the symptoms of autism can be overcome and there are plenty of examples of kids who were thought to be "lost causes" ending up leading productive lives. Extremely productive, in certain cases, because of the common correlation between ASDs and high-intelligence.

[neverdem]

Thanks for the links.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

I've read about that. Thanks.

[webstersII]

"This is the opposite of the results obtained in Denmark, where the incidence of autism actually continued to go up after the removal of thimerosal from vaccines."

Do you have a link to this data? Sounds interesting.

[Conservativegreatgrandma]

because of the common correlation between ASDs and high-intelligence.

This describes my grandson. He's a math genius. He's also good in other things but particularly excells in math. He's off to another math contest tomorrow but when he was small, he was quite profound.

He really did not talk until he was close to six. He could read a newspaper and write notes, but he did not speak plainly. He put us all through some scares.

My daughter and son in law, had to keep the house locked with a lock high up as if he got outdoors, he would take off, not even realizing he was running away.

One episode was particuarly bad. They found him a very long distance from where he became lost.

[Senator Bedfellow]

Sorry to hear that. I certainly understand the desire to seek answers but unfortunately it looks like thimerosal in vaccines is not the culprit - this study notwithstanding, there's really no credible evidence in support of that theory. Perhaps someday the cause will be known, and treatments available, but for now it's a bit of a mystery.

[Born Conservative]

I'm not confused. Linking Diet Coke, vaccines, and pesticides to autism can be construed as absurd.

There are researchers who think that there MAY be a link between mercury and autism (yes, I said may be)

Follow the money. David Geier, one of the authors of this study, is "president of MedCon, a medical–legal consulting firm that helps vaccine injury claimants to obtain money from both the National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program and through civil litigation".

[Per-Ling]

When the causes of autism are not known, there is no credible evidence supporting any cause. Are you suggesting genetics, or is the correlation between autism increase and mercury-laced vaccines something we can afford to wash our hands of. I am a father of a child born in 2000 who had mercury in his vaccines and he has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome, a high-functioning autism. I will investigate any and all possible causes, and certainly wont be dissuaded by someone who visits a couple web sites and ordains this a non-issue.

[Born Conservative]

Do you have a link to this data? Sounds interesting

Check out this blog for insight into the Danish Autism studies. As for the specific study; click here. (link requires registration; try www.bugmenot.com for username and password).