allergies - children
Effects of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis or
tetanus vaccination on allergies and allergy-related respiratory
symptoms among children and adolescents in the United States
By Eric L. Hurwitz, DC, PhD and Hal Morgenstern, PhD
Background:
Findings from animal and human studies confirm that diphtheria
and tetanus toxoids and pertussis (DTP) and tetanus vaccinations
induce allergic responses; associations between childhood vaccinations
and subsequent allergies have been reported recently.
Objective:
The association of DTP or tetanus vaccination with allergies
and allergy-related respiratory symptoms among children and
adolescents in the United States was assessed.
Methods: Data
were used from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination
Survey on infants aged 2 months through adolescents aged 16
years. DTP or tetanus vaccination, lifetime allergy history,
and allergy symptoms in the past 12 months were based on parental
or guardian recall. Logistic regression modeling was performed
to estimate the effects of DTP or tetanus vaccination on each
allergy.
Results: The odds of having a history of asthma was
twice as great among vaccinated subjects than among unvaccinated
subjects (adjusted odds ratio, 2.00; 95% confidence interval,
0.59 to 6.74). The odds of having had any allergy-related
respiratory symptom in the past 12 months was 63% greater
among vaccinated subjects than unvaccinated subjects (adjusted
odds ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 2.54).
The associations between vaccination and subsequent allergies
and symptoms were greatest among children aged 5 through
10 years.
Conclusions: DTP or tetanus vaccination appears to
increase the risk of allergies and related respiratory symptoms
in children and adolescents. Although it is unlikely that these
results are entirely because of any sources of bias, the
small number of unvaccinated subjects and the study design
limit our ability to make firm causal inferences about the
true magnitude of effect. (J Manipulative Physiol Ther 2000;23:81–90)
Publishing
and Reprint Information
Eric L. Hurwitz, PhD and Hal Morgenstern,
PhD - UCLA School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology,
Los Angeles, Calif.
Eric L. Hurwitz, DC - Los Angeles College of Chiropractic,
Whittier, Calif.
Submit reprint requests to: Eric L. Hurwitz, DC, PhD, UCLA
School of Public Health, Department of Epidemiology, Box
951772, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1772; ehurwitz@ucla.edu .
© 2000 JMPT
0161-4754/2000/$12.00 + 0 76/1/105090
doi:10.1067/mmt.2000.105090