Health
No increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome after HPV vaccination
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Feb. 23, 2009
Gardasil, a three-shot series that protects against four types of the human papillomavirus, is not associated with a greater chance of developing Guillain-Barré syndrome, but the situation should continue to be monitored, according to a study released Feb. 13 and due to be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting April 25 to May 2 in Seattle.
Researchers analyzed data from the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System, a postmarketing safety surveillance program run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. More than 16 million doses of this vaccine have been distributed since it was approved June 8, 2006, and VAERS received 36 reports of Guillain-Barré syndrome after HPV vaccination from 2006 to 2008. Of the cases where the date of symptom onset was known, 75% were within six weeks of receiving the shot. The rate of the syndrome after HPV vaccination was seven per million, and this is comparable with the background rate of four to 10 per million.
"Guillain-Barré is not occurring more often after HPV vaccination than it does in the general population," said Nizar Souayah, MD, study author and assistant professor in the Dept. of Neurology and Neurosciences at the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey. "However, the fact that most of these cases occurred within six weeks of vaccination does warrant careful monitoring for any additional cases and continued analysis."
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/02/23/hlbf0223.htm.
