I have had problems with my joints for years now, I was watching tv last night and saw something about the Rubella Vaccine causeing Athritis in women...I recieve a shot after I had my son 22 years ago. I had Juvenal RA when I was a child but went into remission. About 1 month after I had my son and recieving the shot I started having back problems and have had for years now along with joint pain. The Doc said I have athrtis. I also breast feed my son and he had ADHD and was on meds most of his child hood. The nurse did not ask me if I wanted the shot she just gave it to me. I ask what it was and she told me Rubella Vaccine, at the time I didn't know any better. I was never able to get preganent again. I was just wondering is anyone on here has had this shot and now have athritis and if this shot could be the caused for all my problems along with my sons. Now he is fine married and happy. I thank God for that, but I would like to know if this shot may have activated my Juvenal RA again.
Thanks alisaviola
PS sorry about the spelling never could spell very good.
Last edited by alisaviola; 05-27-2008 at 08:56 PM.
I had the shot when little and at age 48 (three years ago) developed arthritis in both shoulders and my neck. I am not sure if that could be from the shot or just a natural part of my aging process.
All I know about the rubella vaccine (German measles) is not to get it while pregnant and I would well imagine it would not be a good idea to get it while breast feeding?
The primary purpose of the rubella vaccine is to prevent congential rubella syndrome. Affecting about 85% of early-term fetuses whose mother catches rubella, it causes deafness, brain damage, miscarriage, and other serious problems. The disease is not so good in infants either. Would have made more sense to vaccinate you before you got pregnant, but maybe they were protecting any future children. There's no reason it would have interfered with your future fertility.
Rubella vaccine and arthritis, eh? It's well established that catching rubella can cause arthritis in women, and adult women (not men or children) do sometimes develop joint pain after getting the vaccine. The vaccine induced arthritis usually goes away in a matter of weeks, though rarely it doesn't.
Alisaviola, it's most likely not possible to say at this point why your arthritis came back when it did, since pregnancy and childbirth also change the immune system.
Lindaru, since there's no evidence that the vaccine can cause arthritis in little girls, and since you didn't have an adverse reaction at the time, I think it highly unlikely that your current joint problems are related. If it's regular osteoarthritis, then no way, because disease or vaccine induced arthritis are inflammatory.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lindaru
There is some ongoing debate about vaccines versus autism and I wonder if they might not be including other disorders (like ADHD) in that debate.
Please, as a personal favor to me, don't go there. There's little to no evidence for the vaccine-autism link, but many people believe in it anyway. Please don't start wild rumors linking vaccines to another disease, not unless you have some evidence to back it up.
There's plenty of evidence to show that ADD is familial. I have it and, you know what? I was hyper from the day I was born, before a single needle entered my veins.
Last edited by janewhite1; 05-28-2008 at 01:04 AM.
Reason: grammar
There is some ongoing debate about vaccines versus autism and I wonder if they might not be including other disorders (like ADHD) in that debate.
QUOTE]
Sorry, I also have to have my little comment about this ;-)
There is absolutely NO reputable scientific evidence to support that any form of vaccines cause autism or any other forms of disorders.
Regarding autism, it took just 1 scientist to say that there is a link when every other scientist in the world specialising in that area said its complete rubbish and there is no link. Who did the media listen to, the one scientist and now people have a false misconception that there is disagreement in the scientific community about the saftey of vaccines.
Because of the hysteria surrounding the subject, particularly the uk there has been an increase in the number of deaths in children relating to diseases that could have been vaccinated against.
And to the poster, what janewhite1 has posted are excellent comments. I agree, just like other scarmongering with vaccines, it is highly improbably for your arthiritis to be caused by the vaccine.
Don't sweat it, Lindaru. It's perfectly reasonable to continue to study and question the safety of any medical product or treatment, even after it's been declared safe. (remember Vioxx?)
However, since there's a great deal of irrational anti-vaccine hysteria already out there, and since the well-established dangerous consequences of not vaccinating fall on society as a whole rather than just the individuals who refuse it, I really don't like people speculating about vaccine risks in the absence of evidence. If vaccinating is a choice, people should be making the choice on the basis of facts rather than Internet rumors.
I hate it when debates become as polarized as the vaccine question has, it actually makes it harder to come up with the right answers. Usually I try to keep my mouth shut (or fingers still?) when the vaccine question comes up here at Healthboards, but sometimes I fail.
No problem, Janewhite . . . you have always been such a help to me and I respect your opinions.
I did have to go to the doctor today and posed the question about joint problems in this type of vaccine.
What they informed me was that it is highly unlikely when given in childhood to cause problems later on but it is a possibility when given to an adult if they have genetic predisposition of either RA or OA of early onset or exacerbation of symptoms. They gave me a flyer which shows you can contact Wyeth about questions on that.
Hi, Geezgeez . . . do not feel guilty. We should just do a group hug.
I also respect your opinions and will refrain from repeating one sided media hype on anything in the future.
Like you and Janewhite, and many others here, my only intention is to help and do no harm. I even got out the American Medical Association Home Encyclopedia which had been packed away so that I can start learning, being more informed and helping people on subjects I have no personal experience with.
Don't get me wrong I am NOT one of these tree huggin people who do not believe in vacinating your kids. I was just thrown by the Doctors study. And years of pain I have tryed every med out there. Had bad luck with Doctors and now I just find it hard to trust any of them. Had to go through 6000.00 worth of heart test to find out my problem there was some meds another Doctor gave me grrrrrrr what does one do. Hey I hear honey bee stings help athritis any marrit it that... My dad is a bee keeper!!! LOL
I was diagnosed with JRA in infancy, went through a brief remission as a teenager and then it started up again after a car accident in my twenties. My current diagnosis is Juvenile Chronic Polyarthritis, I'm 40 now*.
I'd guess your pregnancy (or conclusion of it actually) had more to do with the flare than the vax. Many women with autoimmune disease experience a remission during pregnancy and a rebound flare afterward due to hormonal changes. You may have just experienced the after effects.
That said, the Doc who dx me as a baby back in '69 did tell my mother my JRA could have been caused by the Rubella vax - he said it was a "one in a million" chance. I had had a bad strep throat at six months of age and he felt that was the most likely culprit. (the virus damaged my immune system)
*Twenty five percent of JRA patients have a recurrence of their disease in adulthood - or never go into remission at all.
I'm sorry to hear you still have arthritis, AuntieLeela.
The strep infection, which causes strep throat, can also cause rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever can cause temporary arthritis, lasting arthritis, or even heart damage, so that's the reason strep is always treated aggressively with antibiotics. So, yeah, that sounds like a more likely culprit to me.
