Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a potentially disabling disease of the brain and spinal cord (central nervous system).
In MS, the immune system attacks the protective sheath (myelin) that covers nerve fibers and causes communication problems between your brain and the rest of your body. Eventually, the disease can cause permanent damage or deterioration of the nerves. Vaccinations are regularly referenced as a conceivable risk factor for MS.
Scientists from the Neurology Department of the TUM hospital and the Medical Department and the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVB) have analyzed a large KVB dataset representative of the overall public. The data covered more than 200,000 people, including in excess of 12,000 MS patients.
Scientists found that five years before being diagnosed, people who proceeded to create MS had received fewer vaccinations than the individuals who did not develop MS. This applied to each of the antibodies researched: those against pneumococci, meningococci, mumps, measles, rubella, chickenpox, human papilloma infection (HPV), hepatitis A and B, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and flu. The impact was especially articulated in the latter three cases: the control group had gotten essentially a larger number of immunizations than the people who later developed MS.
Scientists five years before being diagnosed, people who proceeded to create MS had received fewer vaccinations than the individuals who did not develop MS. This applied to each of the antibodies researched: those against pneumococci, meningococci, mumps, measles, rubella, chickenpox, human papilloma infection (HPV), hepatitis A and B, tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) and flu. The impact was especially articulated in the latter three cases: the control group had gotten essentially a larger number of immunizations than the people who later developed MS.
Bernhard Hemmer said, “Those patients, however, had received as many vaccinations as the healthy control group. Thus, the results are not due solely to the presence of chronic inflammatory disease, but to behavior specific to MS: We already know from other studies that MS sufferers show atypical behavior and medical history long before they are diagnosed. For example, they are more prone to mental illnesses and also tend to have fewer children. All this clearly indicates that MS is perceived long before any neurological symptoms appear. We, therefore, need to find suitable markers to diagnose the condition earlier. We see this as one of our most important tasks.”
The study is published ie hose patients, however, had received as many vaccinations as the healthy control group.