Swine flu jab narcolepsy risk is very small

Conclusion This study confirms that the Pandemrix vaccine against swine flu is associated with a very small risk of narcolepsy in children and young people. As the authors point out, this risk may have been overestimated if children with narcolepsy who had been vaccinated were more rapidly referred than others because of increased awareness of the link. The methods used were practical for a rapid assessment of risk, but as this was essentially a case series analysis they are limited by a number of factors: The rates calculated are dependent on the accurate diagnosis and identification of the cases of narcolepsy. By using a particular diagnosis code (for narcolepsy and cataplexy) to identify hospital admission alongside the case reports it is possible some eligible cases were missed from the analysis. Out of the 23 centres asked only 16 replied that they had seen affected children in the relevant period and provided data. Baseline incidence was hard to estimate and capture, it varied widely between countries. There were also apparently significant increases and decreases in incidence in individual countries unrelated to vaccine use. There will inevitably be concerns that the Pandemrix vaccine was distributed too quickly and further testing should have been carried out. This ignores the context of the threat posed by swine flu at the time. At the height of the swine flu pandemic, millions of cases were occurring across the globe and there was real uncertainty a...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Medical practice Swine flu Source Type: news