Study suggests tetanus vaccination associated with lower risk of developing MS
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Medical Update Memo
August 9, 2006
Summary
A recent US study has found that people who had received tetanus vaccine were one-third less likely to develop multiple sclerosis compared to people who had not been vaccinated. Tetanus vaccination is almost universal in North America and is part of a series of doses given in early childhood (as part of the diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccine).
Details
A recently published study by Harvard University researchers reported that people who had received tetanus vaccine were one-third less likely to develop multiple sclerosis than those who had not been vaccinated. The investigators used sophisticated meta-analytic techniques to pool the results of nine previous studies published between 1968 and 2004. The pooled analysis, by Dr. Miguel Hernán and colleagues from Harvard School of Public Health, was published in the July 25, 2006 issue of Neurology (2006;67:212-215).
The nine pooled studies compared the cases of 963 individuals who had MS with 3,126 controls who were friends or relatives, or who had other neurological disorders, or who were from the general population. The controls were more likely to have had a history of tetanus vaccine than those in the MS group.
The authors suggest that something about tetanus vaccination may be protective against MS, and that further research is warranted to determine the possible role of the timing of the immunization(s) and the number of doses. As this was a retrospective study, based on retrievable reports in the literature, no firm conclusions as to cause and effect can be drawn. The National MS Society (USA) has recently launched a task force to investigate the feasibility of conducting studies that would evaluate these kinds of questions in large, controlled studies.
Tetanus vaccination is almost universal in North America. A series of doses are given in early childhood (as part of the diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus vaccine) and adults are generally advised to get tetanus booster immunizations every 10 years. The results of this study do not alter these recommendations.
[With information from the National MS Society (USA)]
ASK MS Information System Code: 2.7.2.8.d
National Research Department
National Marketing and Communications Department
Disclaimer
The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is an independent,
voluntary health agency and does not approve, endorse or
recommend any specific product or therapy but provides
information to assist individuals in making their own decisions.
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