Thimerosal NOT linked to autism

[Deb in IA]

Just another negative study, adding to the scores of others that to date, have found no link between vaccines, or any component of vaccines, to autism.

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/peds.2010-0309v1

Published online September 13, 2010
PEDIATRICS (doi:10.1542/peds.2010-0309)

Prenatal and Infant Exposure to Thimerosal From Vaccines and Immunoglobulins and Risk of Autism

Cristofer S. Price, ScMa, William W. Thompson, PhDb, Barbara Goodson, PhDa, Eric S. Weintraub, MPHc, Lisa A. Croen, PhDd, Virginia L. Hinrichsen, MS, MPHe, Michael Marcy, MDf, Anne Robertson, PhDa, Eileen Eriksen, MPHf, Edwin Lewis, MPHd, Pilar Bernal, MDg, David Shay, MD, MPHh, Robert L. Davis, MD, MPHi, Frank DeStefano, MD, MPHc

aAbt Associates Inc, Cambridge, Massachusetts;
bNational Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion,
cImmunization Safety Office, and
hInfluenza Division, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia;
dDivision of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, California;
gDepartment of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Kaiser Permanente ASD Center San Jose Northern California Region, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California;
eDepartment of Population Medicine, Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts;
fSouthern California Kaiser Permanente, and Center for Vaccine Research, University of California, Los Angeles, California; and
iCenter for Health Research Southeast, Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta, Georgia

Objective Exposure to thimerosal, a mercury-containing preservative that is used in vaccines and immunoglobulin preparations, has been hypothesized to be associated with increased risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study was designed to examine relationships between prenatal and infant ethylmercury exposure from thimerosal-containing vaccines and/or immunoglobulin preparations and ASD and 2 ASD subcategories: autistic disorder (AD) and ASD with regression.

Methods A case-control study was conducted in 3 managed care organizations (MCOs) of 256 children with ASD and 752 controls matched by birth year, gender, and MCO. ASD diagnoses were validated through standardized in-person evaluations. Exposure to thimerosal in vaccines and immunoglobulin preparations was determined from electronic immunization registries, medical charts, and parent interviews. Information on potential confounding factors was obtained from the interviews and medical charts. We used conditional logistic regression to assess associations between ASD, AD, and ASD with regression and exposure to ethylmercury during prenatal, birth-to-1 month, birth-to-7-month, and birth-to-20-month periods.

Results There were no findings of increased risk for any of the 3 ASD outcomes. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for ASD associated with a 2-SD increase in ethylmercury exposure were 1.12 (0.83–1.51) for prenatal exposure, 0.88 (0.62–1.26) for exposure from birth to 1 month, 0.60 (0.36–0.99) for exposure from birth to 7 months, and 0.60 (0.32–0.97) for exposure from birth to 20 months.

Conclusions In our study of MCO members, prenatal and early-life exposure to ethylmercury from thimerosal-containing vaccines and immunoglobulin preparations was not related to increased risk of ASDs.



Key Words: thimerosal • mercury • vaccines • immunoglobulins • autism


Abbreviations: CDC = Centers for Disease Control and Prevention • MCO = managed care organization • ASD = autism spectrum disorder • TCI = thimerosal-containing injection • AD = autistic disorder • ADI-R = Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised • ADOS = Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule • SCQ = Social Communication Questionnaire • OR = odds ratio • Hib = Haemophilus influenzae type b

 

[HeatherH]

THANK YOU for posting this, Deb, I just today received an email from someone who is still promoting the claptrap that vaccines cause autism...this in response to a PTA initiative with a clinic offering free vaccines against pertussis (whooping cough). California has seen a HUGE outbreak of pertussis lately, and this clinic is doing a good thing.

You will never convince the rabid anti-vaxers, though. But thanks for trying.

 

[CaliforniaDreamin]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I think I just saw an article yesterday about parents who were awarded a large settlement in the first ever vax vs autism case?
I really don't want to get involved in an argument, I know this is a really heated topic...but I'll see if I can find the article.

(I'm pro-vax btw)

Here it is:

http://www.lawyersandsettlements.com/articles/14947/poling-vaccine-autism-award.html

Again, I don't know anything but what I have read online and on the Dis. My kids were vaccinated and had no problems. But I would not argue with someone who believes their child developed autism as a result of vaccinations, I'm not educated enough to join the debate. I just thought I would link the article.

 

[Geoff_M]

I don't have a dog in this hunt, but I think I just saw an article yesterday about parents who were awarded a large settlement in the first ever vax vs autism case?
I really don't want to get involved in an argument, I know this is a really heated topic...but I'll see if I can find the article.

(I'm pro-vax btw)

Here, let me help you: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-31727_162-20015982-10391695.html However, the "reporting" leaves a lot to be desired.

 

[SaraJayne]

Thanks Deb for the article.

 

[Deb in IA]

Oh, back to the Hannah Poling case.


This child had an undiagnosed mitochonrial disorder, and it is still unproven whether her autism is a part of that disorder, or related in any way to the vaccines.

 

[Geoff_M]

Oh, back to the Hannah Poling case.


This child had an undiagnosed mitochonrial disorder, and it is still unproven whether her autism is a part of that disorder, or related in any way to the vaccines.

It's also not news as the decision was reached in 2008. The only thing "new" is that an amount was set.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Either way I don't think that ingesting Mercury is a good thing.

 

[Michelle and crew]

Either way I don't think that ingesting Mercury is a good thing.

No kidding.

 

[Deb in IA]

Either way I don't think that ingesting Mercury is a good thing.

Right.

And you get more of it from a can of tuna than you do from an immunization.

 

[npmommie]

2 different forms of mercury, ethyl vs methyl
and I think the thing is the amount of vaccines so therefore there may be less in one vax, but if you add up the amount in all the vax babies get in a short period of time it is more.
I am pro vax too but on a different timeline, slower, more spaced out.

 

[DVCLiz]

2 different forms of mercury, ethyl vs methyl
and I think the thing is the amount of vaccines so therefore there may be less in one vax, but if you add up the amount in all the vax babies get in a short period of time it is more.
I am pro vax too but on a different timeline, slower, more spaced out.

And there's no scientific evidence that that timeline matters in the least, either. It might make you "feel" better but otherwise there's no reason to space them out.

 

[lil mermaid]

2 different forms of mercury, ethyl vs methyl
and I think the thing is the amount of vaccines so therefore there may be less in one vax, but if you add up the amount in all the vax babies get in a short period of time it is more.
I am pro vax too but on a different timeline, slower, more spaced out.

Thimerosal hasn't been used in routinely recommended childhood immunizations since 2001. It is used in flu shots, however you can request thimerosal free flu shots if you want.

So, as long as you keep your babies away from the tuna sandwiches, they should be fine.

 

[Michelle and crew]

Thimerosal hasn't been used in routinely recommended childhood immunizations since 2001. It is used in flu shots, however you can request thimerosal free flu shots if you want.

So, as long as you keep your babies away from the tuna sandwiches, they should be fine.

Lol, you just say that because you are a mermaid! I agree, though. When they are little it is a concern. I'm a bit paranoid because one of mine had high lead levels. We never did track diwn the cause.

 

[zachnsamsmommy]

I do 'have a dog in this fight'...my 3 yr old DS is autistic.

With that being said, I never thought vaxes had anything to do with his autism. He had signs/symptoms months before he got his MMR. We did a delayed schedule with vaccines (he is up to date now)...but not b/c of the autism. He was gross motor delayed, and we didn't want lots of shots to cause pain and delay his walking/moving (he didn't walk until age 2).

I still think there is probably an environmental exposure component to autism...maybe prenatally, maybe post natal. But that is yet to be discovered.

thanks OP for posting this...I do enjoy reading anything that has to do with causes/non causes for autism.

 

[JessicaR]

Thank you Deb, always appreciate your insight!

 

[Geoff_M]

This is a long awaited "other shoe" study (Price) that has dropped after a companion study (Thompson) was published three years ago. Here's a link to an interesting summary of both studies, with a bit of humor thrown in: The big pharma conspiracy once again crushes the idea that mercury in vaccines causes autism. Here's the meat of the summary:

When Thompson et al was published three years ago, the authors pointed out that they intentionally did not include autism and ASDs as studied outcomes and that these outcomes would be the topic of a subsequent paper. Price et al is that paper. What one also needs to understand about Price et al and Thompson et al is that these were studies suggested at the time that the CDC and AAP first decided on the precautionary principle to recommend the removal of thimerosal from all childhood vaccines. That it took until 2007 to publish Thompson et al and until now to publish Price et al just goes to show how difficult and time-consuming epidemiological research can be. Finally, given that the data sources and methodology were in essence the same for each of the two studies, we can expect that the anti-vaccine movement will use the same spin and misinformation about Price et al as it did for Thompson et al in order to attack it.

Basically, Price et al is a similar sort of case-control study. A case control study is a type of retrospective trial in which subjects with a certain condition (cases) are matched as closely as possible with subjects without the condition under study (controls), and the two groups compared to look for factors that correlate with the condition. That's how Thompson et al was performed, and that's how Price et al was also performed. Being retrospective, such a study can never be as rigorous as a randomized controlled trial or a prospective cohort study. However, given that thimerosal has already been removed from all infant vaccines other than the flu vaccine (and there is a thimerosal-free alternative) and, more importantly, that it would be unethical to conduct a randomized double blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, this sort of trial is the best evidence that we will be able to come up with.

Basically, the final two groups that were studied consisted of 256 children with ASD and 752 matched controls. One very interesting aspect that looks as though it were almost certainly placed into the experimental design based on concerns of anti-vaccine advocates like Sallie Bernard is a group of children who underwent regression. Basically, the study examined whether there was a correlation between ASD and TCV exposure. It also examined two subsets of ASD, autistic dsorder (AD) and ASD with regression, looking for any indication whether TCVs were associated with any of them. Regression was defined as:

the subset of case-children with ASD who reported loss of previously acquired language skills after acquisition.

Also, when adding up total thimerosal exposure, the investigators also included any thimerosal exposure that might have come prenatally from maternal receipt of flu vaccines during pregnancy, as well as immunoglobulins, tetanus toxoids, and diphtheria-tetanus. In other words, investigators tried to factor in all the various ideas for how TCVs might contribute to autism when designing this study.

So what did the investigators find? I think you probably know the answer to that question. They found nothing. Nada. Zip. There wasn't even a hint of a correlation between TCV exposure and either ASD, AD, or ASD with regression:

There were no findings of increased risk for any of the 3 ASD outcomes. The adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for ASD associated with a 2-SD increase in ethylmercury exposure were 1.12 (0.83-1.51) for prenatal exposure, 0.88 (0.62-1.26) for exposure from birth to 1 month, 0.60 (0.36-0.99) for exposure from birth to 7 months, and 0.60 (0.32- 0.97) for exposure from birth to 20 months.

The last result is a bit of an anomaly in that it implies that exposure to TCVs from birth to 1 month and birth to 7 months actually protects against ASD. The authors quite rightly comment on this result thusly:

In the covariate adjusted models, we found that an increase in ethylmercury exposure in 2 of the 4 exposure time periods evaluated was associated with decreased risk of each of the 3 ASD outcomes. We are not aware of a biological mechanism that would lead to this result.

 

[npmommie]

Thimerosal hasn't been used in routinely recommended childhood immunizations since 2001. It is used in flu shots, however you can request thimerosal free flu shots if you want.

So, as long as you keep your babies away from the tuna sandwiches, they should be fine.

oh I know that
and my kids hate tuna

 

[Luv Bunnies]

I'm not a doctor or a scientist, but I work with autistic kids and have one of my own (my DS15 has Asperger's). I strongly believe that autism has a genetic link. Many times, I've met and started working with an autistic child before ever meeting the parents. When I do meet the parents, a little light bulb often appears over my head as one of them (usually the dad since autism is more common in males) appears to also be on the autism spectrum. My own husband exhibits some spectrum-like traits and he openly admits it. Things his mother described him doing as a young child raise flags in my mind. Looking back, I also believe my own brother had some autistic-like characteristics and still does.

I am fully convinced that autism is not caused by vaccines. I don't believe in any pre- or postbirth environmental causes either. I, personally, believe it's a purely genetic condition. I also think many adults (including my husband and brother) would have been diagnosed as children if the diagnostic process back then had been as refined as it is now.

Again, this is completely my own personal opinion. I'm not claiming to know anything for sure. It's merely based on my own observations and experience. But, I thought I'd throw it out there since we're discussing possible causes of autism.

 

[C.Ann]

I'm not a doctor or a scientist, but I work with autistic kids and have one of my own (my DS15 has Asperger's). I strongly believe that autism has a genetic link. Many times, I've met and started working with an autistic child before ever meeting the parents. When I do meet the parents, a little light bulb often appears over my head as one of them (usually the dad since autism is more common in males) appears to also be on the autism spectrum. My own husband exhibits some spectrum-like traits and he openly admits it. Things his mother described him doing as a young child raise flags in my mind. Looking back, I also believe my own brother had some autistic-like characteristics and still does.

I am fully convinced that autism is not caused by vaccines. I don't believe in any pre- or postbirth environmental causes either. I, personally, believe it's a purely genetic condition. I also think many adults (including my husband and brother) would have been diagnosed as children if the diagnostic process back then had been as refined as it is now.

Again, this is completely my own personal opinion. I'm not claiming to know anything for sure. It's merely based on my own observations and experience. But, I thought I'd throw it out there since we're discussing possible causes of autism.

That's very interesting.. I've never felt the vaccines were the cause either, but have wondered what is - since I hear about so many children with autism nowadays..

Would you mind sharing what some "autistic-like characteristics" might be in an adult - who was never diagnosed?

Of course if you would rather not, that's fine too..