Vaccination Not a Risk Factor for Pediatric-Onset MS, Study Finds

The causes of multiple sclerosis (MS) are not fully understood, although genetics and environmental factors are thought to play a role. There has even been discussion and research exploring whether childhood vaccinations are associated with the development of MS.

Onset and diagnosis of multiple sclerosis typically occur between the ages of 20 and 40 years. Rarely, the disease is diagnosed before the age of 18 and is considered pediatric-onset MS. About 3 to 5% of people living with MS are diagnosed before the age of 16.

Previous studies have found no association between vaccination and MS in adults. To evaluate the association between vaccinations and pediatric-onset MS, Sonia Darvishi from the department of neurology at the Technical University of Munich in Germany and her colleagues conducted a retrospective case-control study using data from the Bavarian Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians database.

The study results were published in the December 2024 issue of the Multiple Sclerosis Journal and online in November 2024.

The researchers analyzed ambulatory claims data from 2005 to 2020, identifying 346 children with MS ages 9 to 17 years. This cohort was propensity-matched with three control groups, including children with two other autoimmune conditions (Chron’s disease and psoriasis) and one group of children with no autoimmune disease.

The research team looked at vaccinations received within five years before MS diagnosis. They classified them into ten groups: 1) tick-borne encephalitis, 2) hepatitis A, 3) hepatitis B, 4) influenza virus, 5) meningococci, 6) measles, mumps, rubella, and varicella, 7) pneumococci, 8) tetanus, diphtheria, polio, pertussis, and Hemophilus influenza type B, 9) human papillomavirus, and 10) any vaccination.

Darvishi and her colleagues found that a lower proportion of children with MS (65.3%) were vaccinated during the five years preceding their diagnosis compared with children with no autoimmune disease (68.8%), those with Chron’s disease (69%), and children with psoriasis (67.4%).

The study found no association between receiving childhood vaccinations during the five years before diagnosis and an increased risk of pediatric-onset MS.

The authors wrote, “Vaccinations remain a critical component of public health strategies, effectively preventing the transmission of infectious diseases and their severe outcomes. These results underscore the importance of maintaining trust in childhood vaccination programs.”