HPV vaccination not associated with elevated risk of Autoimmune disease

Girls taking the quadrivalent human papillomavirus (HPV4) vaccination are not prone to increased risk of autoimmune disorders, according to a study published in Canadian Medical Association Journal.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a viral infection that is passed between people through skin-to-skin contact. There are more than 100 varieties of HPV, 40 of which are passed through sexual contact and can affect your genitals, mouth, or throat. The HPV4 vaccine is effective at protecting against 90% of the strains that cause cervical and anal cancer.

"Despite demonstrated effectiveness in real-world settings, concerns continue to persist regarding the safety of the HPV4 vaccine. In light of these concerns, we wanted to study the HPV4 vaccination since it was being offered free to all grade 8 girls in Ontario through school-based clinics," says Dr. Jeffrey Kwong, a study author and a senior scientist at the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and at Public Health Ontario.

Erin Y. Liu and his associates conducted a study to assess the risk of autoimmune disorders following HPV4 vaccination among grade 8 girls eligible for Ontario’s school-based HPV vaccination program.

The study undertook a population-based retrospective cohort study using Ontario’s administrative health and vaccination databases of 290 939 girls aged 12 to 17 years.

The study found that there was no significant risk of developing an autoimmune disorder following HPV4 vaccination, and the association was unchanged by a history of immune-mediated disorders and time since vaccination. Exploratory analyses of individual autoimmune disorders found no significant risks, including for Bell palsy, optic neuritis, and Graves disease.

The study concluded that increased risk of autoimmune disorders following HPV4 vaccination among teenage girls was not observed and these findings will reassure parents and the clinicians.

For more reference log on to: http://www.cmaj.ca/content/190/21/E648