Vaccinations, Cytokine Storms, and Autism

[neonds13]

Vaccinations, cytokine storms, and autism

Teresa Binstock
Researcher in Developmental & Behavioral Neuroanatomy
July 11, 2009

The phrase "cytokine storm" appears in peer-reviewed medical literature (reviewed in 1). In his paper, "Advance Consequences of Immunostimulation", Rafael Ponce, Ph.D., includes vaccination as a form of immunostimulation and sets forth some of the mechanisms by which adverse effects occur, including but not limited to acute phase response, cell and tissue injury, pro-coagulent conditions,  increased vascular permeability, and cytokine storms (2).

Given the adverse effects induced by vaccinations (3), a question arises: Are physiological phenomena induced by cytokine storms etiologically significant in some and perhaps many cases of regressive autism?  We note that this relationship has been considered. The google search {autism "cytokine storm"} generated >12k hits, whereas {autism "cytokine storm" -swine} generated >700 hits. A few among these urls offer discussions or assertions wherein vaccination-induced cytokine storms are considered as causally relevant (or not) in at least some cases of autism. The issue of whether or not injurious cytokines-storms occur in some children in response to vaccination merits attention.

Indeed, are at least some prolonged, adverse responses induced by vaccinations properly labeled as "cytokine storms"?  If so, as a child regresses after experiencing a vaccination-induced cytokine storm, might his or her iatrogenic pathology have been caused (at least in part) by excessive amounts of vaccination-induced cytokines? To rephrase, might some cases of autism or other autism-spectrum disorders (ASDs) be a variant of pathologies caused by cytokine storms?

In a section entitled, "Cytokine Release/Cytokine Storm", Ponce wrote, "A systemic cytokine release may develop in response to an intense inflammatory signal or antigen load that overwhelms immunomodulatory controls..." (2). In a different essay, researcher Ian Clark sets forth an important principle, "Although cytokine storm can be a useful lay term, we must expect clinical and pathological dissimilarities in systemic diseases that have this common fundamental origin."

Regarding the possibility of vaccination-induced cytokine storms in children who subsequently regress into autism or one of the other ASDs, inter-individual variables may include polymorphisms in genes related to detoxification or inflammation, health status at the time of the vaccination incident, intra-body burden of pollutants, and the number of vaccinations given during the incident or in a sequence of incidents having close temporal proximity. As Clark explains, "Different triggers for cytokines... can be expected to generate different ranges, profiles, concentrations and kinetics of cytokine and chemokine generation and release" (1). An anticipated ramification of these variables is that affected children would manifest a range of traits.

The CDC's list of vaccination side-effects (3) seems based upon individual vaccines. As reported by many parents of autistic children who regressed after vaccination episode, the mild, moderate, and supposedly "rare" side effects of vaccinations resemble post-vaccinal symptoms manifested by their child.

Apparently not addressed by the CDC's list of adverse effects of individual vaccinations is whether or not a child who is injected with multiple vaccines during one incident is more likely (a) to experience one or more of the side effects, (b) to develop a more severe reaction (eg, fever related to seizures), or (c) to develop symptoms consistent with vascular pathology or brain damage. Examining specific vaccine's side effects (4) offers clues regarding what might be more likely to occur in some individuals when, for instance, the DTaP, MMR, and another "routine" vaccine are injected during the same incident.

Conclusion: This short essay (i) offers two of the primary citations related to adverse effects of cytokine storms induced by immunostimulation, (ii) considers whether or not (in some individuals) cytokine storms or a variant thereof can be induced by vaccinations, (iii) asks whether or not adverse effects from specific vaccinations are more likely or more severe in response to multiple-vaccination incidents per individual, and (iv) suggests that cytokine-storm research may be relevant in some and perhaps many cases of regressive autism.


References:

1. The advent of the cytokine storm.
Clark IA. Immunol Cell Biol. 2007 85(4):271-3.

2. Adverse consequences of immunostimulation.
Ponce R. J Immunotoxicol. 2008 Jan;5(1):33-41.

The therapeutic uses of immunostimulatory agents are generally in the treatments of infections or cancer. The traditional example of vaccination is one form of immunostimulation used in the prevention of pathogenic infections or cancer (e.g., human papillomavirus vaccine)...  Finally, immunostimulation may develop via modulation of pathways involved in immune system regulation...  This paper reviews the major identified toxicities associated with immunostimulation, including the acute phase response, cell and tissue abnormalities/injury, cytokine release/cytokine storm, tumor lysis syndrome, vascular leak, and autoimmunity...


3. Possible Side-effects from Vaccines [CDC]
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vac-gen/side-effects.htm


4. Some side effects of various vaccines (from cite 3):
DTaP:
    -Fever
    -Sometimes the 4th or 5th dose of DTaP vaccine is followed by swelling of the entire arm or leg in which the shot was given, for 1 to 7 days
    -Fussiness
    -Tiredness or poor appetite
    -Vomiting
    -Seizure (jerking or staring)
    -Non-stop crying, for 3 hours or more
    -High fever, 105 degrees Fahrenheit or higher
    -Long-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousnes
    -Permanent brain damage

Hib:
    -Fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit (up to 1 out of 20 children

MMR:
    -Fever
    -Seizure (jerking or staring) caused by fever
    -Temporary low platelet count, which can cause a bleeding disorder
    -Temporary pain and stiffness in the joints, mostly in teenage or adult women
    -Long-term seizures, coma, or lowered consciousness
    -Permanent brain damage

Varicella
    -Fever
    -Mild rash, up to a month after vaccination (1 person out of 25). It is possible for these people to infect other members of their household, but this is extremely rare.
    -Note: The first dose of MMRV vaccine has been associated with rash and higher rates of fever than MMR and varicella vaccines given separately. Rash has been reported in about 1 person in 20 and fever in about 1 person in 5. Seizures caused by a fever are also reported more often after MMRV. These usually occur 5-12 days after the first dose.
    -Seizure (jerking or staring) caused by fever
    -Other serious problems, including severe brain reactions and low blood count, have been reported after chickenpox vaccination. These happen so rarely experts cannot tell whether they are caused by the vaccine or not. If they are, it is extremely rare.

[neonds13]

Jul. 22, 2009 at 4:08 AM

(Original Poster)