Can vaccines cause autoimmune disorders

1. Can Vaccines Cause
Autoimmune Disorders?
By Madeline Vann, MPH | Medically reviewed by Lindsey Marcellin,
MD, MPH
Some people think vaccines actually trigger the
development of autoimmune diseases. Is this
really the case
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With the increasing awareness of autoimmune
disorders comes a natural curiosity about what
may be causing them.
Vaccines have been called into question as
possible candidates, but existing research
suggests that vaccines are safe, effective, and do
not increase the risk of autoimmune disorders.
Research is ongoing, particularly because of the
remaining question of whether vaccines, while
safe for the general public, might have a different
effect on very small groups of people who are
already genetically inclined to develop
autoimmune disorders.

2. Linking Vaccines to Autoimmune Disorders
“Autoimmune diseases generally involve
difficulties with the immune system turning itself
off, so any stimulation of the immune system can
sometimes lead to a flare of disease. Vaccines
may cause transient flares of disease in some
patients,” says immunologist Julian Ambrus, MD,
an associate professor of medicine at Buffalo
General Hospital in New York.
However, the increasing prevalence of
autoimmune disorders, which has occurred over
a period in which there has been an increase in
the use of vaccines, has led to speculation linking
specific vaccines to specific autoimmune
disorders. Additionally, the onset of autoimmune
disorder symptoms occasionally occurs soon after
a vaccination, which can lead to the perception
that the two are linked. Some people have
theorized that:
 Hepatitis B vaccine increases risk of multiple
sclerosis. (There does appear, in theory, to
be a plausible concern that the vaccine could
react against the myelin in the brain and
spinal cord; however, there is no evidence of
an actual association.)
 A specific type of influenza vaccine increases
risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome. (There is

3. good evidence for an association in this case,
but only for a type of swine flu vaccine used
in 1976-77.)
 Use of many more pediatric vaccines has
caused an increased risk of type 1 diabetes.
(The balance of scientific evidence shows no
relationship.)
If there is a link between specific vaccines and
specific autoimmune disorders, the biological
basis remains a mystery. Many people make the
argument that there is a connection based on the
fact that infections can trigger autoimmune
disorders in some people. There are several other
ways in which a vaccine could theoretically cause
an autoimmune disorder:
 Some element of the virus in the vaccine
triggers the body’s immune system
incorrectly.
 An ingredient in the vaccine other than the
virus causes the autoimmune response.
Chemical structures in the vaccine may
resemble autoimmune disorder triggers.
 The body’s immune response to a vaccine
may trigger the autoimmune disorder.

4. Autoimmune Disorder and Vaccines: What
You Need to Know
“There is no evidence that vaccines cause
autoimmune disorders,” says Dr. Ambrus.
However, “one has to weigh the risk of disease
flare versus the benefit of getting vaccine
protection. If one gets the infectious disorder for
which one is supposed to be vaccinated, it will
cause far more problems than the vaccine itself.”
For some people who have autoimmune
disorders, there may be a reaction called a flare-
up, when symptoms of the disorder become
stronger. However, research has shown that most
people with lupus, multiple sclerosis, and
rheumatoid arthritis can get vaccinated with no
worries about having a flare.
How Researchers Study a Possible Vaccine-
Immune Disorder Link
Researchers are continuing to explore any
possible links between vaccination and
autoimmune disorders. Here are some of their
techniques:
 Epidemiological (or population)
studies. Research into the possible link
between vaccines and autoimmune disorders
is generally done by analyzing health data
from a population of people who receive the
vaccine, either as part of a clinical trial or

5. after a vaccine campaign, to find out
whether a higher-than-normal number of
autoimmune disorders develop after the
vaccine is given compared to the number
experts would expect among people who
have not been vaccinated.
 Animal studies. In an effort to find out
whether pediatric vaccines contributed to the
development of type 1 diabetes, researchers
immunized lab mice with pediatric vaccines.
 Case studies. In rare situations, health
professionals and researchers may use a
case study — which is a description of one
person’s experience with a condition — to try
to understand a unique event. Many reports
of possible links between vaccines and
autoimmune disorders are case studies.
 Crossover studies. These are studies that
compare people with themselves. For
example, in order to understand whether a
vaccination caused a flare up of multiple
sclerosis symptoms, researchers compared
the response of people who had MS and
were vaccinated with their health during
periods when they had not been vaccinated.

6. One of the challenges in researching this
controversy is dividing the people involved into
meaningful smaller groups based on risk. Overall,
the data suggests that there is no increased risk
of developing an autoimmune disorder as a
result of vaccination — but whether that is true
for very small groups of vulnerable people is not
yet fully understood.
It’s best not to lose sight of an important fact:
Vaccines save lives. If you have any specific
concerns about vaccinating your child, talk them
over with your doctor. The theoretical risk of
harm is far outweighed by the benefit of being
protected against disorders that once sickened or
killed thousands of children and adults.
Last Updated:12/2/2009
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