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.
In 1976, a German
researcher wrote that "...vaccination is recognized as having a starter
function for the onset of autism." (5)
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.
5. [Autistic syndrome (Kanner) and
vaccination against smallpox (author's transl)]
[Article in German]
Eggers C.
Klin Padiatr. 1976 Mar;188(2):172-80.
3-4 weeks following an otherwise uncomplicated first vaccination
against smallpox a boy, then aged 15 months and last seen at the age of
5 1/2 years, gradually developed a complete Kanner syndrome. The
question whether vaccination and early infantile autism might be
connected is being discussed. A causal relationship is considered
extremely unlikely. But vaccination is recognized as having a starter
function for the onset of autism.
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