False study - MMR vaccine

Here I am for medical articles starting with vaccines. As a foreword, I will briefly cover the content.
This story is about a British doctor, Wakefield, who aroused a worldwide panic regarding vaccination. He was waiting for his own vaccine’s approval while in a law case against the rival pharmaceutical company that produced that MMR vaccine. Along 12 others physicians, he published a false study over a small, chosen group of children whose parents were already of a piece with anti-vaccination wave. Of course, this case is solved now, but uncertainty still flows throughout population.
By vaccination, the body receives antigens that only stimulate the immune system to create antibodies against those specific antigens. That amount of antigens is just too small for causing the disease itself. A very possible subsequent infection (high titer of antigens that would cause disease without immunization) with that microorganism against which the body already created antibodies due to vaccination, won’t trigger the disease.

February 28th 1998, The British Medical Journal The Lancet had triggered a global alert publishing a research claiming that there is a link between MMR vaccine and autism.
Chief Researcher, Dr. Andrew Wakefield (gastroenterology), called for ruling out vaccination. Seven-year investigation by journalist Brian Deer, published in the British Medical Journal, demonstrated that "the study" was in fact "elaborate fraud". As a result after investigation, the UK Physicians’ Board started its own investigation, forbidding Wakefield to practice medicine in England. The magazine has publicly withdrawn the study. Other dozens of subsequent studies have shown exactly the opposite: autism is not triggered by MMR vaccines.

Title: Ileal-lymphoid- nodular hyperplasia, non-specific colitis, and pervasive developmental disorder in children
Authors: A.J. Wakefield, S.H. Murch, A. Anthony, J. Linnell, D.M. Casson, M. Malik, M. Berelowitz, A.P. Dhillon, M.A. Thomson, P. Harvey, A. Valentine, S.E. Davies, J.A. Walker-Smith

Ten out of the researchers withdrew and deny their statement: “We want to clarify that this study has not established a causal link between MMR vaccine and autism, as data was insufficient”.

Those 12 investigated children (11 boys, 1 girl) aged 3 to 10 years had, prior to vaccination, “a history of normal development, followed by a loss of the acquired skills including language along with diarrhea and abdominal pain” as the authors maintained.
Children were supposed to: gastroenterological and neurological examination, biopsies, IMRs, EEGs, colonoscopies, “under sedation” lumbar punctures and Ba radiographies. Regarding these investigations, the authors claimed that they were approved by the ethics committee of the hospital also having the consent of their parents.
According to the tests, researchers sustained that the onset of the symptoms was associated by the parents with MMR vaccine administration. Symptoms were suggestive for measles (8/12) and otitis media (1/12).
Histological examination revealed chronic inflammatory bowel disease (11/12) and ileal lymphoid non-granulomatous hyperplasia (7/12). Behavior dysfunctions included autism (9/12), disintegrative psychosis (1/12) and encephalitis (2/12).
Researchers claimed in the “conclusion” section that the symptoms appeared short after vaccination (~6 days) according to parents’ and treating physicians’ notice (8/12).

The inquest

Brian Deer is the journalist that discountenanced the research in British Medical Journal, concluding that the study is a fraud. He demonstrated that Wakefield had deliberately chosen patients that were already suffering from autism-like symptoms and whose parents were already into the anti-vaccination wave.
Behind the false report, Deer demonstrated there were some financial stake. Wakefield submitted the documentation for his own anti-measles vaccine to approve and he was paid to propagate the idea that vaccination causes autism starting in a law case against the rival pharmaceutical company.
Two years prior to the research, Wakefield was hired by Richard Barr, lawyer, collaboration that brought him 435.643 £. The fraud is clear from their discussion as they were talking about the requirement of a temporary association between vaccine and autism. “Dr. Wakefield believes that if we find a direct link between vaccination and the onset of the symptoms, we can demonstrate that the idea is not just a coincidence”, Barr explained to the head of the Legal Aid Board in 1996. He simultaneously promoted Wakefield on newsletters.

Only one out of nine children that Wakefield claimed they suffer from regressive autism was actually affected. His diagnosis also accompanied by chronic diarrhea was known long before vaccination anyway. The other 3/12 children were never suspected of autism. One of them was suffering from Asperger’s at the time of vaccination and the other two were brothers, fact hidden from the study.
Most of the patients had reached Wakefield through JABS anti-vaccination campaign; one of the children’ mother was the head of other anti MMR vaccines campaign. Although these parents were blaming the vaccine for their children’s diseases, their medical history was already mentioning development and social retard also facial dismorphism.
The only girl Wakefield sustained that lost her language skills after vaccination, was supposed to a surgery for aortic coarctation at only 14 months old, in the discharge sheet being clearly explained that she was unable to pronounce any word. The administration of MMR vaccine came up 4 months after the surgery.
Behavioral disorders that the study claimed they occurred ~6 days post-vaccination, in reality they took place up to 6 months later. Autism symptoms were reported one week after vaccination to a 15 months old child. In a previous discharge sheet was signed that he developed slow speech and chorea 2 months before vaccination. Only 3 out of 11 children that the study sustained they suffer from colitis, were actually sick.

False study busters

Due to Wakefield’s “research”, hundreds of scientists absolutely denied his study
~„No evidence for measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine-associated inflammatory bowel disease or autism in a 14-year prospective study” (over 1,8 millions patients, no trace of autism)
~„A Population-Based Study of Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccination and Autism” (500.000 people, no autism)
~„No effect of MMR withdrawal on the incidence of autism: a total population study”, Japan (350.000 volunteers from a whole city, no autism)

The judge

After Brian Deer’s investigation, British General Medical Council started its own inquest that made Wakefield unable to bring any proof to sustain research’s statement. He didn’t even ask for witnesses.
Wakefield did not respect the selection criteria and ethics, he commanded blood tests for 5 children even if he is not a pediatrician, he also undergone invasive procedures to 3 of them, auctioning against children’s interest.
He was hiding from ethics committee that he was paid to incite a process against the pharmaceutical company that was producing MMR vaccine and the fact that he also was waiting for his own vaccine’s patent.
The court decided that Dr. Wakefield’s name to be removed from the medical registers. The jury concluded that this is the only appropriate sanction to protect patients, it is in the public interest, including the maintaining of public confidence in the profession and proportionate to the serious findings against him.

We have to compare the benefits and the risk in any situation. Regarding vaccines, it may sometimes appear isolated adverse reactions, but life expectancy have significantly risen over the last century due, beside other progress associated factors, to vaccination.

Take care! :)

References
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9500320
http://evz.ro/minciuna-isteria-antivaccinare.html?&page=1
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS01406736%2805%2977837-5/fulltext
http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2897%2911096-0.pdf