Shots in the desert and Gulf war syndrome

doi:10.1136/bmj.320.7246.1351

BMJ 2000;320:1351-1352 ( 20 May )

Editorials

Shots in the desert and Gulf war syndrome

Evidence that multiple vaccinations during deployment are to blame is inconclusive

Papers p 1363

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Vaccinations could have long term, non-specific effects on immune responses in children and adults, some undesirable, othersbeneficial. For example, there has been speculation that vaccinescould influence the development of atopy. We have known for yearsthat the pertussis vaccine is an adjuvant for IgE production,and conjecture that vaccinations might have contributed to therise in atopic disease in children was an inevitable corollaryof the "hygiene hypothesis."¹ This hypothesis proposes thatthe prevalence of atopy has increased because infections in earlylife protect against atopy and children have been less exposedto infections over time. The discovery of polarised T helper cellresponses, Th1 and Th2, fuelled the debate.² It led to a theoreticalmodel whereby the development of atopy characterised by Th2-typecytokine responses to allergens and production of IgE might bepromoted by vaccines that induce Th2 cytokines or inhibited bythose that induce Th1. . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Murphy, D., Hotopf, M., Wessely, S. (2008). Multiple vaccinations, health, and recall bias within UK armed forces deployed to Iraq: cohort study. BMJ 337: a220-a220 [Abstract] [Full text]
(2000). Do Vaccinations Play a Role in Gulf War Symptoms?. JWatch General 2000: 5-5 [Full text]