Hepatitis B Virus Vaccine Not a Culprit in RA | Arthritis Information

 

The hepatitis B virus vaccine does not appear to be associated with an increased risk for rheumatoid arthritis, Dr. Roger P. Baxter and his associates reported at a vaccine research conference sponsored by the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.

Both acute and chronic arthropathies have been reported in adults vaccinated with the tetanus-diphtheria (Td), hepatitis B virus (HBV), and measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines. However, most of the evidence to support or refute a causal relationship between the Td or HBV vaccine and chronic arthritis has come from isolated case reports, uncontrolled observational studies, or studies that lacked sufficient statistical power, said Dr. Baxter, associate director of the Vaccine Study Center at Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, Calif., and his associates.

A case-control analysis designed to overcome the shortcomings of the previous studies included a cohort of continuous enrollees in Northern California Kaiser Permanente's health plan from Jan. 1, 1995, through Dec. 31, 1999, who were aged 15–59 years during Jan. 1, 1997-Dec. 31, 1999. Individuals who had made clinic visits for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory conditions prior to their follow-up start date were excluded.

A total of 416 incident cases of RA were identified, and each was matched with three controls based on age and the number of clinic visits made during the year prior to the onset date. Rates of HBV vaccination among the RA patients were compared with those of controls, with adjustment for sex, age, and exact number of clinic visits. Similar comparisons were made for the tetanus and influenza vaccines.

No statistically significant risk of RA was found for any of the three vaccines. Only 1% of RA patients versus 0.6% of controls had been exposed to the HBV vaccine within 1–90 days of onset of RA symptoms, for an adjusted odds ratio of 1.48. Within 1–180 days, the percentages were 1.9% with RA versus 0.9% of controls, giving a still insignificant odds ratio of 2.01. Within 1 year, 2.4% of RA cases and 1.6% of controls had been exposed to the vaccine, again insignificant at 1.42.

In all, only 10 of the 416 RA patients had received the HepB vaccine within 1 year of symptom onset, suggesting that “If there is an association, these data would imply that hepatitis B vaccine would only contribute to a small minority of cases,” the investigators said in their poster.

Results for the other two vaccines were also not significant, with adjusted odds ratios of 0.77–1.06 for tetanus and 0.66–1.11 for influenza. Although RA patients used significantly more health care, it probably wasn't that different clinically, Dr. Baxter said in an interview.

I cannot find this 'study' in PubMed.  I wonder why it wasn't published?

Lynne, it would be great if you could include reference links to your numerous posts, for people interested in following up.I'd really like to read this in context since my RA onset right after my Hep B vaccine, but I can't find it anywhere! Not the net, news, bogs, etc. Are you sure you didn't writie this yourself, haha! JK, of course, but where is it?Vaccines are on my 'agenda' right now.  I want my daughter to be up to date, and so does the ped!  He was upset I refused varicella and rubella, based on advice from the ped rheum.

Ped rheum says no live vaccines.  Ped says she can have live vaccines as long as she is not immune suppressed, according to the guidelines they use.

Makes sense to me, and the ped rheum knows she is not immune suppressed, so I don't know what the deal is.

All the ped rheum would say is that they recommend checking her immunity titers, if I am concerned.  Um, I'd rather be obliviously thinking she is protected, thank you.....

If she can't get them due to active arthritis, and immune suppression would solve that supposedly, she still couldn't get them on immune suppression.....

I asked the ped if he thought it was because she would flare, and he was like, so what?  Flare is better than rubella.

In the end, I said if the ped rheum was not scared of rheum meds, but cautions against vaccines all children receive,  I'm going to hold off until I get more of the story.  Ped completely understood things from that perspective.

Went to the CDC site.  One thing both vaccines have in common is neomycin.  Anybody have thoughts on that?  It can't be much.
Suzanne - Thanks, Pip, but none of those ingredients appear to be in what I refused, according to the CDC list I saw.

One thing about that link - says the MMR has three live vaccines?   I was told the measles/mumps part was okay, and the ped said he could order one like that for her.
No - I meant the link to the library of studies.  That should get you some more info - especially as some scientists are researching it. I'll go back...thanks! I'm with them on this part.....

Children with neurological disorders are often suffering from severe gastrointestinal distress and inflammation. A trigger of this inflammation and the resultant behaviors is the MMR vaccine. [QUOTE=Lynn49]

A case-control analysis designed to overcome the shortcomings of the previous studies included a cohort of continuous enrollees in Northern California Kaiser Permanente's health plan from Jan. 1, 1995, through Dec. 31, 1999, who were aged 15–59 years during Jan. 1, 1997-Dec. 31, 1999. Individuals who had made clinic visits for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and other inflammatory conditions prior to their follow-up start date were excluded.



 

[/QUOTE]

Maybe these dates are why you can't find this particular study?  Is it this old, or did they just use patient info this old?
No need to be snotty...I have things to do, I can't spend all day on these boards. When I say the request, I posted were I read it.

http://www.rheumatologynews.com/article/S1541-9800(07)70339-3/fulltextLynn492008-05-07 11:58:42No one was being snotty or impatient on this thread (until your post). You're way out of line on that one.

But thank you for the reference link, nonetheless.By "you" in my earlier post, I meant the ones who couldn't find it - not Lynn, if that is what you (Lynn) thought.  Really...Well, that was my interpetation of this:

"When I was looking for the non-existant study that NikkiLynn posted."

And you're welcome.........

Lynn492008-05-07 12:14:40
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