It makes no sense to look at only the adverse effects of vaccinations on those with IEM without looking at the benefits in preventing the disease which is going to be worse in those with IEMs.

If vaccinations cause the “unveiling” of autism-like symptoms, getting the disease that the vaccine prevents would undoubtedly be many times worse. There is nothing special about vaccinations as immune system stimulations compared to actual diseases other than that the vaccination is milder and has been demonstrated to be much safer in normal individuals than the disease.

The anti-vax position on mito is soooo convoluted. They dearly want to believe that this sub group proves the link between autism and vaccines and yet mito specialists recommend vaccination. If they had it their way, anti-vaxers would deny mito kids the vaccines that save them from horrible morbidities and the very real possibility of death.

That John Poling can’t or won’t see the light goes to show that when it comes to your own child even a clinician’s judgment can be severely impaired.

interesting paper.

I find it, well ironic is a polite term, that the vaccine skeptics can dismiss diseases like varicella as no big deal. These same groups claim to represent children who are vulnerable to toxins.

Here is a clear example of a group of people who are vulnerable to diseases. What is so difficult about the idea that vaccinating the rest of us protects this vulnerable segment?

The next step up is case-control studies with matching of cases and controls, hopefully with blinded objective assessments and so forth, and it looks like we’re starting to see these.

It’s not uncommon that effects that appeared plausible at first no longer show up in the better quality studies.

Hera’s and pD’s objections are relevant, and you should trust that better science will try to address them, but it’s important to consider that mitochondrial disorder is not just about autistic-like regression. Symptoms include loss of muscle coordination, heart disease, kidney disease, severe constipation, respiratory disorders, seizures, visual or hearing problems, etc. If vaccination is a significant trigger, should you see significant hospitalizations as a result? I would think so.

But the larger issue is that we are using very awkward tools to measure for what could be subtle, but still meaningful changes. For example, the acetaminophen to asthma connection that was only discovered after literally decades of over the counter use in infants. It seems likely that way that tylenol was ascertained to be safe for infants was similarly measured.

Nice write up. Thank you Sullivan.

– pD

As you say, it would have been interesting to know what the hospitalization rate was prior to vaccinations being given.

Out of interest, would you consider the lack of neurological or other chronic diagnosis tracking to be a legitimate critism or not? Would be interested to hear your opinion either way.