MMR VACCINATION AND AUTISM

MMR Vaccination and Autism



MMR Vaccination and Autism

Introduction

Autism is a neuropsychiatric disorder that was first described in 1943 by Kanner. This disorder is characterised by early signs of impairments in socialisation and communication (refer to appendix 1.0). However, no two autistic cases are the same. It is generally found that symptoms occur along a spectrum which includes children and adults across the range of severity and intellectual ability, from severely impaired to high-functioning. Consequently, the term Autistic Spectrum Disorders (hereafter known as ASD) has been employed in an attempt to describe the diversity of the condition. This paper will investigate into a sample of studies examining the causal relationship between MMR-vaccination and autism in an attempt to determine whether there is a link.

Discussion

Onset is seen generally before the age of 3 years old (Volkmar & Pauls, 2003). Having said this, due to the nature of the condition, diagnoses may not be made up until five years in severe cases of the spectrum or up until adulthood in mild cases. There have been many claims of cures and successes at various symptoms have been made with treatment options, however, the disorder is a life-long disability requiring substantial amounts of care, affection and attention as part of continual maintenance. According to the National Autistic Society, there are currently 500,000 families affected by ASD in the UK. Autism was once considered a rare disorder before the late 1980's. However, since the introduction of the triple measles, mumps and rubella vaccination (hereafter known as MMR) the number of cases of autism appears to have risen (Kaye et al, 2001). Is this a coincidence or a significant factor?

Wakefield et al noticed this increase in incidence and attributed a causal relationship between the administration of MMR and the onset of autism. In 1998, he published a report of eight children in the United Kingdom with regressive autism following the receipt of MMR-vaccine (Offit & Coffin, 2003). The implications of this controversial statement led to a drop in the MMR-immunisations rate from 94 to 75% across England (Scalon, 2002; Boseley, 2001). The concerns about MMR also spread to the United States.

Wakefield et al hypothesised that a series of events that explained how MMR causes autism. According to the group, the result of the actual components of the MMR-vaccine is intestinal inflammation. Consequently, there is a change in the permeability of the intestinal barrier function allowing the passage of gut-derived peptides that exert an 'opioid effect' on the brain. Such peptides dysregulate the endogenous opioid system and thus subsequently disrupt normal brain development (Offit & Coffin, 2003).

The media seized upon Wakefield's hypotheses and, as it was politically favourable, a frenzy of research was commenced investigating the link between MMR and Autism. Further research has since failed to replicate Wakefield's findings and also heavily criticised his work on methodological grounds.

Epidemiological studies into this area are mostly retrospective, looking back at past medical notes of large samples in an attempt to correlate any relationship between ...