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H1N1 Vaccines Linked to Guillain-Barre Syndrome but Not Birth Defects
How safe are flu vaccines? Two new studies show that the H1N1 vaccine poses no risk of birth defects when given to pregnant women, but does slightly increase the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome, a reversible autoimmune disorder, in patients over 50.
In the studies, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, scientists tracked the rates of birth defects and developmental problems such as low birth weight and preterm birth in babies born to Danish women who were vaccinated against H1N1 in 2009-10 during pregnancy. A separate group of scientists in Quebec looked at the risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome in millions of people given the vaccine in Canada, also in 2009-10.
In the study that focused on Guillain-Barre, Philippe De Wals, a professor of social and preventive medicine at Laval University in Canada, and his colleagues included 4.4 million people in Quebec who received the H1N1 vaccine as part of a mass immunization program during the 2009 “swine flu” pandemic; they were all vaccinated over a six-month period from October 2009 to March 2010.
Full story of H1N1 vaccines at Time Healthland
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I went from being fit to being unable to move a muscle
After a rare disorder attacked his nervous system and robbed Kyle Tod of the slightest movement, he tells how he slowly rebuilt his life to the point where he is about to undertake an 850-mile charity cycle around Scotland.
Kyle Tod lay in his hospital bed, unable to move even the tiniest of muscles and with a plethora of tubes invading his motionless body.
Outside the high dependency unit at Edinburgh’s Western General Hospital, his devastated parents Des and Theresa were told to prepare for the worst. But what had happened to Kyle was not the result of an accident or a long-running battle with illness. Indeed, just the night before he had been enjoying the usual banter with his friends at five-a-side, recalling tales from their first ever lads’ holiday to Malia, Crete, days before.
How then had he found himself completely paralysed and fighting for his life in hospital? The answer was the rare, unpredictable and potentially fatal Guillain-Barré syndrome.
Kyle, now 25, recalls: “It was horrible, I could write a book about how horrible the illness was. I couldn’t move – I was petrified. I didn’t know what was facing me.
Full story of guillain-barre syndrome at Edinburgh Evening News
Photos courtesy of and copyright stock.xchng, http://www.sxc.hu/
In recovery, Hamilton college senior counsels others with rare disorder
A senior at Rowan University, Matthew Tozzi woke up one Friday last November thinking the day ahead of him would be an easy end to a busy week of classes. He was wrong. He felt a slight numbness on his face, and at first thought nothing of it, but it got worse.
“The numbness started to spread,” he said.
Panicked, Tozzi called his parents — Tony and Kathy Tozzi — in Hamilton.
“I got a call on Nov. 12 and he told me the left side of his face felt funny,” she said, at first thinking her 21-year-old son was suffering symptoms of a stroke. She told him to go to the infirmary, but Matthew wanted to wait, thinking the numbness would go away.
“I’m a pretty healthy guy, and this happened overnight,” he said. “The worst was not knowing what was going on.”
Tighter Food Safety Linked To Drop In Guillain-Barré Syndrome Cases
By Tang Yew Chung
Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a neurological condition which can result in paralysis or death, is typically triggered by an infection such as by the Campylobacter jejuni bacterium.
However, there had previously been no evidence showing that controlling campylobacteriosis rates in a population would lead to a decrease in GBS cases.
Now, scientists at the University of Otago have taken advantage of a unique set of circumstances in New Zealand to study the link between campylobacteriosis and GBS in the population.
New Zealand used to have the highest reported rate of campylobacteriosis in the world, until stricter regulations on the processing of fresh chicken were applied from 2006.
Two Central Fla. kids contract rare illness (VIDEO)
WFTV
CENTRAL FLORIDA — At least two Central Florida children have come down with a rare illness in a matter of weeks.
Doctors said the children have Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disorder where the body's immune system attacks the nerves.
It only affects about one in 100,000 people. WFTV's Lori Brown asked what causes it.
Eight-year-old Christian went from running a 5K one week to hardly being able to walk and write words a couple of weeks later.
"The scariest moment was when Samantha came to me and said, 'Christian can't walk,'" said Christian's stepfather, Andrae Bailey.
Disorder is affecting her ability to enjoy sex
By Dr. Ruth Westheimer
Q: Please help me. I'm a 39-year-old female, and earlier this year I was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre syndrome. While still recovering, I have no sensation from the waist down and can't enjoy sex with my husband. Please give me some advice so I can feel like a normal woman again. We have tried intercourse; however, I don't feel anything when we do, just the pressure of him inside of me.
A: I am not a medical doctor, so I can't help you from that point of view, though I certainly would tell you to ask your doctor whether this is a part of the disease and whether there is any remedy. But from my perspective as a sex therapist, I would tell you to try to regularly please your husband, whether it be via intercourse or some other way. As loving and loyal as he may be, not having sexual release might open up a divide between the two of you. Hopefully you can overcome this and all the symptoms of this disease, but in the meantime, try to keep your husband from feeling the effects too strongly.
New Course Added This Month: Guillain-Barre Syndrome and CIDP Disorders
Flex CEUS
$9.00 [1.00 CE Hour]
Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) and Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) are acquired immune-mediated inflammatory disorders of the peripheral nervous system. This course examines the causes of both disorders, as well as related disorders. The components of an initial evaluation for patients with these disorders will be reviewed, along with the principal goals of therapy and the plan for recovery.