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Pertussis immunisation and serious acute neurological illnesses in children
1Academic Department of Public Health, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, University of London.
Insights
Children with severe neurological illness after pertussis immunisation faced long-term health and developmental issues. While a link to diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine exists, benefits of immunisation outweigh rare risks.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Neurology
- Immunology
- Public Health
Background:
- Severe acute neurological illness in early childhood can have lasting impacts.
- Pertussis immunisation is a critical public health intervention.
- Understanding long-term outcomes following childhood neurological events is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the long-term outcomes in children who experienced severe acute neurological illness in early childhood.
- To investigate potential associations between pertussis immunisation and these long-term neurological sequelae.
Main Methods:
- A follow-up study comparing cases of severe acute neurological illness with matched controls.
- Children were assessed at home and school across Britain.
- Educational attainment, behavioral problems, continuing convulsions, and neurological/physical dysfunction were evaluated.
Main Results:
- Children with prior neurological illness showed significantly higher rates of death and long-term dysfunction.
- A small, statistically vulnerable group of cases (12) showed a relative risk of 5.5 for recent diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis immunisation.
- Other potential causes for these neurological illnesses could not be excluded.
Conclusions:
- Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine may be rarely associated with severe neurological illness and sequelae.
- Individual cases may have alternative causes or occur by chance.
- The established benefits of pertussis immunisation support its continued use.
Objective:
To determine long term outcome in children who had a severe acute neurological illness in early childhood associated with pertussis immunisation.
Design:
Follow up study of cases and matched controls.
Setting:
Assessment of children at home and at school throughout Britain.
Subjects:
Children recruited into the national childhood encephalopathy study in 1976-9 were followed up, with one of their two original matched controls, in 1986-9.
Main Outcome Measures:
Performance in educational attainment tests; behaviour problems reported by teachers and parents; continuing convulsions; evidence of other neurological or physical dysfunction.
Results:
Over 80% of cases and controls were traced. Case children were significantly more likely than controls to have died or to have some form of educational, behavioural, neurological, or physical dysfunction a decade after their illness. The prevalence of one or more of these adverse outcomes in case children who had been immunised with diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine within seven days before onset of their original illness was similar to that in case children who had not been immunised recently. The relative risk for recent diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis immunisation in children who had died or had any dysfunction in comparison with controls was 5.5 (95% confidence interval 1.6 to 23.7). However, the number of cases associated with vaccine (12) was extremely small and statistically vulnerable, and other possible agents or predisposing factors could not be excluded.
Conclusions:
Diphtheria, tetanus, and pertussis vaccine may on rare occasions be associated with the development of severe acute neurological illnesses that can have serious sequelae. Some cases may occur by chance or have other causes. The role of pertussis vaccine as a prime or concomitant factor in the aetiology of these illnesses cannot be determined in any individual case. The balance of possible risk against known benefits from pertussis immunisation supports continued use of the vaccine.