(Abstract) Tetanus vaccination & risk of MS

[agate]

[pals1107]

I haven't had a Tetanus vaccination for over 20 years. I wonder if I should, I've been afraid of a reaction.
Pat
_________________
One & Only (thank God)

[agate]

I was just wondering the same. I don't know how long it's been since I had a tetanus shot.

Here's a Medscape article about the research that was described in the abstract (above):

[pals1107]

Well I got my vacine on Monday, couldn't use my arm yesterday, I had a hard time sleeping it hurt so bad. I have a knot the size of a squashed plum and a bruse even bigger. When she gave it to me blood squirted out of my arm.

I moaned myself to sleep last night. It is a little better today, no wonder I waited over 20 years to get one.
Pat
_________________
One & Only (thank God)

[agate]

So apparently you are supposed to get boosters from time to time? Congratulations on getting through that ordeal. I do recall hearing about tetanus boosters, but now that I no longer have little kids around, I'm afraid I haven't given much attention to the latest thinking on vaccines.

[pals1107]

I found this.

http://whale.to/v/tetanus.html

3. NEUROLOGICAL REACTIONS

Neurological reactions were observed in 1.4/million vaccinations (10 p. 161). The peripheral nervous system is affected more often than the central nervous system. The rate of side effects is clearly lower than with the DPT vaccination, but similar to the DT vaccination, with the important remark that with the latter the central nervous system is affected more often. The time span between vaccination and complication differs from barely a few minutes for acute allergic reactions, to 12 to 48 hours for delayed allergic reactions, to 4 to 10 days for the onset of neuritis (49). 43% of cases show their first symptoms within 72 hours.

Peripheral neuropathy occurs in 1.4/million vaccinations (10 p161). The first symptoms can be observed within 10-14 days. It can be provoked by different mechanisms. In one case, a clear cut causal relationship was established with hypersensitivity to the tetanus toxoid.

Affected parts are the arm muscles (plexus brachialis, N. medianus) (59), or cranial nerves (40). Apart from single nerve affections, also poIyneuritis and radiculoneuritis occur.

In 1966, Blumateln & Kreithen published their observations of peripheral neuropathy caused by hypersensitivity to the toxoid itself (60).

Fardon, in 1967, wrote down his observations of neurological complications along with other side-effects of the vaccine (32), in 1970, Gathier & Bruyn followed the same track (61). In 1976, Gersbach & Waridel published their findings (62). Dieckhofer continues the queue in 1978 (63). Quast (1979) mentions both mono- and polyneuritis after vaccination (64). Baust (1979) notIced peripheral neuropathy (65). Brachial Plexus Neuropathy was described by Tsairis and colleagues in 1972 (66). After the DPT-combined shot this synrome was published by Martin & Weintraub (1973) (67) and Tsairis (66) after combined vaccines.

Wooling & Rushton (1950) gave a description of this syndrome 5 days after tetanus vaccination (68). Polyradiculoneuritis in a 22-year-old man was reported by Holliday & Bauer (1983) (69) after the third booster, after previous boosters had been uneventful. There was no apparent reaction at the site of the injection.

Paralysis of the respiratory nerves (Landry paralysis) lead to exitus in one case (70). A 48-year old healthy man was vaccinated after injury. One week later he suffered from an influenza-like disease. From the 8th day on he developed severe pains and swelling of the joints, mainly of the right shoulder. During the next 2 to 3 weeks a right-sided plexus brachialis paralysis developed with severe wasting of the muscles. It took the man 2 years to recover from the disease (71). Katz pictured similar findings as early as 1927, and Schilling followed soon after. Demme (72), Lische (73) and Ridder confirmed this in the early thirties (71). Schlenska (1977) reported a number of neurological complications (74).

Palffy & Merei (1961) observed a reversible one-sided paresis with motor aphasia, 10 days after vaccination (50).

Gullain-Barré paralysis was seen following tetanus vaccination by Hopf (1980) (75). Pollard & Selby observed a patient with three episodes of GBS, each following administration of tetanus toxoid (76). After each vaccination, the attack came sooner than after the previous one (3 weeks, 2 weeks and 9 days interval). Despite this, vaccination was not terminated!

Landry-paralysis was described by Elsasser (77).

Acute Transverse Myelitis was seen by Whittle & Robertson (1977) (78).

Tetanic spasms may develop (40, Ehrengut, Bethge 49), Rigor after vaccination (8).

Central neuropathy was described in 1961 by Meering (21). An 11 year old girl developed encephalits 2 months after vaccination.

Palffy and Merel witnessed a hemiplegia with aphasia 10 days after vaccination, with recovery after five weeks (50). A meningoencephalitis in a formerly healthy patient was diagnosed by Dengler (1978) on the fourth day, after the man suffered a severe local reaction within hours after vaccination (79). Three cases of encephalitis and encephalomyelitis were officially compensated in the GDR before 1981 (10 p163).

Bodechtel described encepha lomyelitis after vaccination (80). Buchwald mentions a fatal case of encephalitis (34). A soldier died after weeks of unconsciousness (July 1980). He had been vaccinated in spite of a serious cold.

Headache belongs to the more frequently observed reactions (3).

A bout of multiple sclerosis can be provoked by a tetanus shot (10 p163, 81). Schabet et al (82) quote the case of a 50 year old man who developed MS and multifocal cerebral vasculitis and infarction after simultaneous TBE (tickborne encephalitis) and tetanus vaccination.

The cranial nerves can be affected. Damage of the nn. acusticus, opticus, oculomotorius, facialis and recurrens have been noticed (51). As early as 1936, Cutter presented a case of auditory nerve involvement in a healthy 4-year-old schoolboy who also developed double vision (55). Harrer and colleagues (1971) described lack of eye accomodation and inability to swallow in a 21-year-old patient, 10 days after vaccination (83).

Eicher & Neundörfer in 1969 made observations about a 28-year-old man in whom the left recurrent laryngeal nerve was affected 8 days after a booster dose. It took him 2 months to recover (51). The reaction was immune mediated (allergic).

Bauer and Ellis described a right sided paralysis of the recurrent laryngeal nerve ‘84, Basek did a similar observation in 1958 in two patients (85). Wirth, in 1965, reported auditory nerve problems 5 days after vaccination, which lasted for two weeks (86).
_________________
One & Only (thank God)

[agate]

The article you quote seems to contradict the article I quoted. Not surprising because it sometimes looks as if the medical experts don't really know much at all!

The author of your article is in homeopathic medicine. I'm afraid I'm too traditional--I shy away from homeopathic medicine.

It probably has a lot to recommend it, anyway. I just haven't seen the light yet.