http://www.whale.to/vaccines/seizures.html
Seizures,
convulsions & vaccines
A study revealed that 1 in 175 children who completed the full DPT suffered
severe reactions ("Nature and Rates of Adverse Reactions Associated
with DPT and DT Immunizations in Infants and Children" [Paediatrics, Nov.
1981, Vol.68, No.5]) and a Dr.'s report for attorneys which found that 1 in 300
DPT immunizations resulted in seizures (The Fresno Bee, Community
Relations, DPT Report, Dec 5, 1984).
"Moreover, seizures have been removed from the Table, although that the
pertussis vaccine can cause seizures is uncontested (and warned in the
manufacturer’s package insert)."--Marcel Kingsbourne
Testimony of Michelle
Clements
Seizure
Disorder after MMR vaccination
Barkin RM, Jabhour JT, Samuelson J S, "Immunizations, seizures,
and subsequent evaluation," JAMA 1987 Jul 10;258(2):201.
Baraff LJ et al (1988). Infants and children with convulsions and
hypotonic-hyporesponsive episodes following diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis
immunization: follow-up evaluation. Pediatrics 81(6):789-94 1988. Department of
Pediatrics, University of California, Los Angeles, School of Medicine.
In a prior prospective study, we evaluated the
nature and rates of adverse reactions occurring within 48 hours following
15,752 diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) immunizations. Nine children
had convulsions, and nine had hypotonic-hyporesponsive episodes... No
child had significant neurologic deficit, although four had minor neurologic
abnormalities...
Blumberg DA, "Severe reactions associated with diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis
vaccine: detailed study of children with seizures, hypotonic-hypo-responsive
episodes, high fevers, and persistent crying."Pediatrics 1993 Jun;
91(6):1158-1165.
Buchwald
G. [See
Related Articles] [Convulsive disease recognized by a court decision as a
vaccination injury following smallpox vaccination]. Med Welt. 1967 Jun
17;24:1488-91. German. No abstract available.PMID: 4389310; UI: 69226516.
Cizewska S, Huber Z, Sluzewski W, "[Prophylactic inoculations
and seizure activity in the EEG]," Neurol Neurochir Pol 1981
Sep-Dec;15(5-6):553-557. [Article in Polish]
Coplan J, "Seizures following immunizations," J Pediatr 1983
Sep;103(3):496.
Cherry JD et al (1993). Pertussis immunization and characteristics
related to first seizures in infants and children. J Pediatr 122(6):900-3 1993.
Department of Pediatrics, University of California Los Angeles School of
Medicine.
In a previous study in which we examined the
relationship of pertussis immunization to the onset of neurologic disorders
during 1967 and 1968 and during 1972 and 1973 in Denmark, there were 554
children with initial onset of epilepsy and 2158 children with first febrile
convulsions... The cause of increased severity of febrile seizures apparently
associated with pertussis immunization is unknown.
Griffin MR, et al (1991) Risk of seizures after measles-mumps-rubella
immunization. Pediatrics. 1991 Nov;88(5):881-5. PMID: 1945626; UI: 92051053.
To evaluate the risks of seizures and other
neurologic events following measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) or measles-rubella (MR)
immunization, a retrospective cohort study was conducted among 18,364 Tennessee
children enrolled in Medicaid who received MMR or MR immunizations in their
first 3 years of life. One hundred children had seizures at some time between
immunization and 36 months; there were no encephalopathies during this period.
Four children had febrile seizures in the 7 through 14 days following MMR or MR
immunization compared with 72 in the interval 30 or more days following MMR or
MR immunization yielding a relative risk (95% confidence interval) of 2.1 (0.7
to 6.4). Although not statistically significant, this increase in febrile
seizures in the 7-through 14-day interval following MMR immunization is
coincident with the occurrence of fever following MMR immunization and is
consistent with reports of other investigators.
Griffin MR et al. Risk of seizures and encephalopathy after immunization
with the diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine. JAMA 263(12):1641-5 1990.
Department of Preventive Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine,
Nashville, Tenn 37232-2637.
We evaluated the risks of seizures and other
neurological events following diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) immunization
for 38,171 Tennessee Medicaid children who received 107,154 DTP immunizations
in their first 3 years of life. There were 2 children with encephalitis; both
had disease onset more than 2 weeks following DTP immunization. There were 277
children who had febrile seizures, 42 with afebrile seizures, and 37 with
seizures associated with other acute neurological illness (acute symptomatic).
The risk of febrile seizures in the 0 to 3 days following DTP immunization (n =
6) was 1.5 (95% confidence interval, 0.6 to 3.3) times that of the control
period 30 or more days following DTP immunization...
Huttenlocher PR, Hapke RJ, "A follow-up study of intractable
seizures in childhood." Ann Neurol 1990 Nov; 28(5):699-705.
Hirtz DG, Nelson KB, Ellenberg J H, "Seizures following childhood
immunizations", Pediatr 1983 Jan; 102(1):14- 18.
Jacobson V et al (1988). Relationship of pertussis immunization to the
onset of epilepsy, febrile convulsions and central nervous system infections: a
retrospective epidemiologic study. Tokai J Exp Clin Med 13 Suppl:137-42 1988.
Department of Neurology, UCLA School of Medicine.
A change in the pertussis immunization schedule
in Denmark allowed a retrospective study examining the relationship of the time
of onset of selected neurologic disorders with the time of pertussis
immunization in two core cohorts of children. Records of 2,199 children with
febrile seizures were reviewed and a significant association between first
febrile seizures and the scheduled age of pertussis immunization was noted (p =
0.004)...
Jensen
KG, et al. [See
Related Articles] [Acute-convulsive reactions following smallpox
vaccination]. Med Welt. 1971 Oct 22;43:1702-5. German. No abstract
available.PMID: 5132712; UI: 72077108.
Miller
CL. Convulsions after measles vaccination. Lancet. 1983 Jul 23;2(8343):215.
No abstract available.PMID: 6135043; UI: 83243659.[See
Related Articles]
Murphy, J.V., Sarff, L.D., Marquardt, K.M.; Recurrent Seizures after
Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis Vaccine Immunization; AJDC, Vol 138, Oct
1984; 908-911
Twenty-two patients with recurrent seizures that
started less than 24 hours after immunisation with diphtheria, tetanus and
pertussis (DTP) vaccine were retrospectively studied. The initial seizure
generally occurred after one of the first three DTP vaccine immunisations, and followed
that immunisation by less than 12 hours. Two of the 22 patients were siblings.
Eight patients had additional immunisations with DTP vaccine and four had
immediate worsening of their seizures. Of the 22 patients, only one was seizure
free and stopped taking anticonvulsants. Three patients exhibited normal
development and 11 had severe developmental delays. Based on these
observations, we reviewed current contraindications for immunisation with
pertussis vaccine.
Stetler, H.C., Orenstein, W.A., Bart, K.J., Brink, E.W., Brennan, JP,
Hinman, A.R.; History of convulsions and use
of pertussis vaccine; Journal of Pediatrics; 1985; 107:175-179
Data on 2062 reports from the Monitoring System
for Adverse Events Following Immunisation, Centres for Disease Control (CDC)
were analysed to compare the risk of a personal or family history of
convulsions in children who had a neurologic adverse event after receipt of
diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine with those who had a nonneurologic
adverse event. Children with a neurologic event after DTP vaccine had a 7.2
times higher risk for personal history of convulsions (95% confidence limits
4.5 to 11.5) and a 4.5 times higher risk for family history of convulsions (95%
confidence limits 3.1 to 6.7) than did children with an adverse event that did
not affect the nervous system. Children with either a febrile or nonfebrile
convulsion after receipt of DTP were significantly more likely to have a
personal history of convulsions that children with a nonneurologic adverse event
(P<0.001). Children with a febrile convulsion after receipt of DTP but not
children with nonfebrile convulsions were significantly more likely to have a
family history of convulsions than those with a nonneurologic adverse event. It
is recommended that pertussis vaccination be deferred in children with a
personal history of a convulsion until it can be determined that an evolving
neurologic disorder is not present. If such disorders are found, these children
should be given the combined paediatric diphtheria and tetanus toxoids (DT)
vaccine to complete the series.
Shields
WD, et al. Relationship of pertussis immunization to the onset
of neurologic disorders: a retrospective epidemiologic study. J Pediatr. 1988
Nov;113(5):801-5. PMID: 3263484; UI: 89036544.
"The authors write: "there was no relationship between the time of
the scheduled administration of pertussis vaccine" and these infections,
whereas the accompanying table shows that there was a relationship. They then
state that it "appeared to represent a change in the referral
pattern" but gave no further details. Furthermore, in the
"Discussion" section at the end, the authors went from "appeared
to represent" to "was due to": "for CNS infections the
change in rate was due to a change in referral patterns." This appears to
be simple prevarication. The same occurred with respect to epilepsy. The
authors write: "there was no relationship between the age of onset of
epilepsy and the scheduled age of administration of pertussis vaccine,"
whereas the table on the very same page shows that there was such a
relationship. "--Harris Coulter
Tonz O (1980), Bajc S. [Convulsions after whooping-cough vaccination].
[Article in German] Schweiz Med Wochenschr 1980 Dec 20;110(51):1965-71.
Convulsions or status epilepticus in 11 infants
after pertussis vaccination are reported. In 3 cases grand mal epilepsy
persisted and 2 children developed infantile epileptic encephalopathy (Lennox
syndrome). On the basis of our own experience, the incidence of seizures
approximates 1:4800 infants vaccinated or 1:12 800 vaccinations. According to a
recent prospective study from the USA, the incidence of seizures may be closer
to 1:600 infants...
http://www.pnc.com.au/~cafmr/coulter/sids.html
Cizewska S, Huber Z,
Sluzewski W,
"[Prophylactic inoculations and seizure activity in the EEG],"
Neurol Neurochir Pol 1981 Sep-Dec;15(5-6):553-557. [Article in Polish]
Huttenlocher PR, Hapke
RJ, "A
follow-up study of intractable seizures in childhood." Ann
Neurol 1990 Nov; 28(5):699-705.
Blumberg DA, "Severe
reactions associated with diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine: detailed study
of children with seizures, hypotonic-hypo-responsive episodes, high
fevers, and persistent crying."Pediatrics 1993 Jun;
91(6):1158-1165.
Vaccinations and
Convulsions Citations:
Prensky AL, et al, "History of convulsions and use of pertussis
vaccine," J Pediatr 1985 Aug; 107(2):244-255.
Baraff LJ, "Infants and children with convulsions and
hypotonic-hypo-responsive episodes following diphtheria- tetanus-pertussis
immunization: follow-up evaluation," Pediatrics 1988 Jun; 81(6):789-794.
Jacobson V, "Relationship of pertussis immunization to the onset
of epilepsy, febrile convulsions and central nervous system infections: a
retrospective epidemiologic study," Tokai J Exp Clin Med 1988;13 Suppl:
137-142.
Cupic V,et al, "[Role of DTP vaccine in the convulsive syndromes
in children]," Lijec Vjesn 1978 Jun; 100 (6):345-348. [Article in
Serbo-Croatian (Roman)]
Pokrovskaia NIa, "[Convulsive syndrome in DPT vaccination (a
clinico-experimental study)]," Pediatriia 1983 May;(5):37-39. [Article in
Russian]
"The following significant adverse events have occurred following
administration of DTP vaccines: persistent, inconsolable crying >= 3 hours
(1/100 doses), high-pitched, unusual crying (1/1000 doses), fever >=
40.5degC (1/330 doses), transient shock-like (hypotonic, hyporesponsive)
episode (1/1750 doses), convulsions (1/1750 doses)."--TETRAMUNE (DTPH) (1996) http://www.netlink.co.nz/~ias/tetram.htm
At Whale
Court case--1998-Rachael Lampe--residual seizure disorder and subsequent
mental retardation http://www.law.gwu.edu/fedcl/Opinions/Horn/98/Lampe2.htm
Court case--Kristy M. Henkel (1998)--seizures, tuberous sclerosis
("TS"). http://www.law.gwu.edu/fedcl/Opinions/Miller/98/HENKEL.htm
Court case--Rachel Plavin ("Rachel")--seizures (case denied) (Aug
1998) http://www.law.gwu.edu/fedcl/Opinions/Tidwell/98/PlavinvUS.htm
Court case--Diane C. Lett (1998)--residual seizure disorder (case affirmed) http://www.law.gwu.edu/fedcl/Opinions/Turner/98/LETT.htm
Court case--Michael Hanlon (March 1998)--seizure disorder (case denied) http://www.law.gwu.edu/fedcl/Opinions/Turner/98/HANLON.htm
Court case--Rachel Leah Reiss-Plavin ("Rachel") (1998)--residual
seizure disorder ("RSD")---Rachel received her first
Diphtheria-Pertussis-Tetanus ("DPT") vaccination on August 4, 1989 at
the age of two months. She received her second DPT vaccination on September 15,
1989, In November 1989, Rachel was diagnosed with Tuberous Sclerosis
("TS"), a neurocutaneous genetic disorder affecting the skin and
nervous system.
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