Health

Hepatitis B shot not associated with childhood multiple sclerosis

NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Dec. 24, 2007

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The hepatitis B vaccine is not linked to an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis as a child, according to a study in the December Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Researchers at the University of Paris matched 143 patients who first experienced the symptoms of this disease before age 16 with 1,122 control participants randomly selected from France's general population. Both the MS patients and the controls had ahepatitis B immunization rate of 32%, and no version of the vaccine was associated with an increased risk of developing this neurological problem.

Previous studies investigating the link between the hepatitis B vaccine and MS have had conflicting results, but this study is the first to show there was no increased risk in children.

Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2007/12/24/hlbf1224.htm.

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