MMR jab - Crohns in family...

[Ilovemyboy]

I am aware that there is no scientific evidence to link the MMR jab with autism.

However I have read threads on here that suggest that the MMR jab seems to affect children who have Crohns in the family.

I have a boy (higher risk???) and my sister has had her life almost ruined by Crohns so is really bad with it.

Please could I have your thoughts on whether I should let DS have the MMR and links to any recent research regarding MMR with Crohns in family.

Andrew Wakefield did some research into Colitis and MMR which you may want to google. It might be relevant but is covers any inflammatory disease of the colon, not just chrohns.

Hope that makes sense!

We have chrons in the family, and when DD1 was due her MMR, I actually emailed the NACC who had assured me there was no link and I was perfectly safe to go ahead.

It has to be your decision, but I felt relieved having the email from the NACC.

My mum died from Chrons 2 weeks after DD1 was born, so it was still very raw.

Thank you.

JARM - your poor mum must have been really poorly with it. It is a horrible disease.

She was, but luckily the end was quick. SO quick in fact that she was fine when I went out at 6pm and dead by 10pm.

Its ok though, it will be 3yrs on 7th august and time is a healer. I just need to stop gettign pregnant so I can get tested myself.

I would get in touch with JABS or The Informed Parent before making your decision.

it wil be all over the news over the next week or so, so don hard hat, whatever you decide.

Certainly there are doctors (other than Wakefield) who believe Crohns is a risk factor. Somoene on mumsnet was told by a specialist (off record maybe) to get singles because of of crohns in the family. You may find the post if you seach. Many of the children who has a severe regressed following MMR have colitis.

Here's a personal story about MMR and autism. This is the type of regression that Wakefield was/is interested in. This type of regression is rare (7% of cases of autism) but it has a lot of gastrointestinal involvement. Although people argue about the causation AFAIK no-one disputes the existence of colitis in these children, or even I think that it was previously undescribed. Unfortunately with Wakefield gone and Murch probably about to be forced to go there is no-one in the UK who will be able to carry out this sort of investigation anymore, which I guess means no treatment available here.

There are other more widespread gut issues in autism, but they are not as related to Crohns. So if you google be aware that a lot of the stuff on autism and gut will not necessarily be relevant to you. If you google autistic enterocolitis then you'll find the more relevant stuff.

In fact if you google Treating Autism then follow their conference links you an download slides to a talk Wakefield gave this year where I think he mentioned Crohns. He is of course controversial.

Oh and good luck with your decision hope you find the info you need. With Wakefield and Murch in the dock tomorrow I'm signing off mumsnet for a month or so!

gess, what a giveaway.

I now know who you are and you'll no longer stay off mn than you stayed off the vax threads.

Seriously though, keep sane over the coming month or so.

JARM - my sister has had it since she was 21. She is 34 now and has only recently started back to work. She is on all sorts of drugs to control it but if she ever starts to feel a little run down or has a bad stressy day, she is crippled with it for weeks. It is so sad.

Sorry to hear that it has affected your mums (and your) life so much.

Thanks for your help guys.

Poor Laurence McGowan.

Sorry to say this but Crohn's is not a killer!!! It is all the other things that come with this problem. Things such as the treatments due to the drugs, and if the person is run down or poorly. I just thought I had to say this as there are young people looking at this who could get confused about some of the things wrote about Crohn's.

People who respond well to treatment may never have another flare up in years!!!!! So just lets try to be positive !!!!

The idea that the MMR vaccine (or vaccines in general) caused the increase in Crohn's Disease that occurred in the mid 20th century was a decent hypothesis 15-20yrs ago.

Since then, a number of well-conducted studies have come out which have refuted the idea.

I link to three open access papers.
There are others.

A UK study looking at hospitalisation rates of Crohns pre and post MMR introduction.

A UK study looking at hospitalisation rates since the measles vaccine became available.

An American case-control study looking at Inflammatory Bowel Disease & Crohn's Disease in those who had been vaccinated with MMR, Measles Single Vaccine or neither.