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Published on: August 7, 2017
Asthma and allergy in children with and without prior measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination
Clara Amalie Gade Timmermann1, Christa Elyse Osuna2,3, Ulrike Steuerwald4
1Department of Environmental Medicine, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Background:
The existing literature on the association between measles vaccination and subsequent risk of allergic disease is inconclusive. The aim of this study was, therefore, to determine whether measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination administered in early childhood was associated with asthma and allergic diseases at ages 5, 7 and 13 yrs in a birth cohort.
Methods:
In the Faroe Islands, 640 children were followed from birth. Follow-up examinations at ages 5, 7 and 13 yrs included a physical examination and a maternal questionnaire about the child's health. At age 7, total and grass-specific IgE was quantified in the child's serum, and at age 13, the children underwent skin prick tests (SPT). The child's vaccination card was reviewed at examinations.
Results:
At age 5, 533 of 555 children had been vaccinated for MMR. After confounder adjustment, we found early life MMR vaccination to be associated with a two-third reduction in the odds of asthma (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.12; 0.90) and hypersensitivity/allergy (OR: 0.32, 95% CI: 0.11; 0.88) at age 5, and the substantially decreased odds of asthma were replicated at age 13 (OR: 0.22, 95% CI: 0.08; 0.56). At age 7, serum total IgE was reduced by 62.8% (CI 95%: -84.3%; -11.9%) in the vaccinated children. MMR vaccination was not significantly associated with allergic rhinoconjuctivitis symptoms, eczema, or SPT reactions at age 13.
Conclusions:
MMR vaccination early in life may have a protective effect against allergy at least up to age 7 and against asthma through age 13 yrs.
Insights
Early childhood measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination may protect against asthma and allergies. This study found MMR vaccination was associated with reduced odds of asthma and allergies in children up to age 13.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Allergy and Immunology
- Vaccine Research
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Inconclusive evidence exists regarding the link between measles vaccination and allergic disease risk.
- A birth cohort study was designed to investigate the association between early childhood measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination and subsequent asthma and allergic diseases.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if MMR vaccination in early childhood is associated with asthma and allergic diseases at ages 5, 7, and 13 years.
- To analyze the impact of MMR vaccination on allergic markers such as IgE levels and skin prick test (SPT) reactions.
Main Methods:
- A birth cohort of 640 children in the Faroe Islands was followed from birth.
- Data collected through physical examinations, maternal questionnaires, serum IgE quantification (age 7), SPT (age 13), and vaccination card reviews.
- Confounder adjustment was applied to analyze vaccination's impact on health outcomes.
Main Results:
- Early MMR vaccination was linked to a two-thirds reduction in asthma and allergy odds at age 5.
- Reduced asthma odds persisted through age 13 (OR: 0.22).
- Serum total IgE levels were significantly reduced (62.8%) at age 7 in vaccinated children; no significant association found for rhinoconjunctivitis, eczema, or SPT reactions at age 13.
Conclusions:
- Early-life MMR vaccination may offer a protective effect against allergies up to age 7.
- MMR vaccination appears to protect against asthma through age 13.
- Further research is warranted to understand the long-term immunological effects of MMR vaccination.
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