Positive effect of
measles citations
[back] Measles
[back] Positive effect of childhood diseases
These results are supported from an older study
which found more allergies in vaccinated kids than in vaccine-free kids. (Lewis
1998)
neurodermatitis. (Kesselring 1990)
Bonjean M, Prime A. Suspensive effect of measles on psoriasic erythroderma of 12 years' duration Lyon Med. 1969 Nov 9;222(40):839. PMID: 4245855 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Chakravarti VS, Lingam S. Measles induced remission of
psoriasis. Ann Trop Paediatr. 1986 Dec;6(4):293-4.
A 6-year-old girl suffering from severe psoriasis had been treated
unsuccessfully by various conventional methods. She developed measles and, on
recovery from measles, the psoriasis soon cleared up and now, 6 months later,
she still has had no further recurrence. The basic defect in psoriasis, basal
cell hyperplasia and defective keratinization, may well be immunologically
mediated. Measles virus, by its immunosuppressive effect can lead to remission
of psoriasis.
PMID: 2435240 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
FOMIN KF. Cure of psoriasis after co-existing measles. Vestn Dermatol Venerol. 1961 Jun;35:66-8. Links [Article in Russian]
[Kids who had measles definitely suffer from fewer
allergies.]
Kucukosmanoglu E, Cetinkaya F, Akcay F, Pekun F Frequency
of allergic diseases following measles.
Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2006 Jul-Aug;34(4):146-9. Links.
Department of Pediatrics, Medical Faculty, Gaziantep University Istanbul,
Turkey. ercankosmanoglu@yahoo.com
OBJECTIVE: Viral and bacterial infections in childhood decrease the likelihood
of allergic diseases in later life. The frequency of allergic diseases in
patients with a history of measles has been reported to be low but some studies
still suggest that measles can increase the frequency of allergic diseases. The
aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of allergic diseases
following measles in childhood. METHODS: Fifty-two children hospitalized in our
clinic with measles were compared with 51 children without measles. Allergic
diseases were investigated in both groups by using the International Study of
Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) questionnaire. In all children,
allergy skin tests were performed with the four most common allergens. RESULTS:
Sensitivity to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus was less frequent in children with
measles than in those without (p < 0.05). A history of nebulized salbutamol use
in the emergency room in the previous 12 months was also less frequent in the
measles group (p < 0.05). Inhaled corticosteroid use was more common in the
group without measles (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results of this study indicate
that findings of allergic disease are less frequent in children with a history
of measles. These children were less sensitive to D. pteronyssinus.
PMID: 16854347 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE
Lepore L, Agosti E, Pennesi M, Barbi E, De Manzini A. Long-term
remission induced by measles infection and followed by immunosuppressive therapy
in a case of refractory juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. Pediatr Med Chir.
1988 Mar-Apr;10(2):191-3. [Article in Italian]
A case of severe juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, polyarticular type, refractory
to FANS and long acting therapy which showed a quick remission after measles is
described. An immunosuppressive therapy to strengthen the immunosuppression
induced by virus infection was performed for six months. The remission has been
maintained for 4 years and appears up to now to be stable with no therapy. On
the basis of this observation, the possibility of a vaccination therapy with
measles virus, which equally gives immunosuppression, is discussed.
PMID: 3174483 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
LINTAS N. Case of psoriasis cured after intercurrent measles. Minerva Dermatol. 1959 Apr;34(4):296-7. [Article in Italian] PMID: 13656632 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
[In third world countries measles reduces the risk
of parasites and malaria.]
Rooth IB, Bjorkman A. Suppression of
Plasmodium falciparum infections during concomitant measles or influenza but not
during pertussis. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 1992
Nov;47(5):675-81 Department of Infectious Diseases, Karolinska Institute, Huddinge Hospital,
Sweden.
In tropical countries, concomitant infections are a continuous problem. In the
Rufiji Delta, an area of Tanzania that is holoendemic for malaria, there were
outbreaks of influenza A, measles, and pertussis in 1986 and 1987. Significantly
lower parasitic prevalences and mean densities of malaria parasites were found
in children up to nine years of age who had measles or influenza than in
asymptomatic control children. In contrast, children with pertussis had a higher
prevalence and mean density than controls. The clinical courses of measles,
influenza, or pertussis infections did not appear to be significantly affected
by concomitant malaria infections. The reasons for the suppression of Plasmodium
falciparum parasitemia during these viral infections are unclear. This effect
could not be explained by the presence of fever. PMID:
1449208 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Rønne, T., "Measles virus infection without rash in childhood is
related to disease in adult life," Lancet, Jan. 1985; pages 1-5.
Persons who have never had any visible indication of measles, i.e., never
developed the skin rash of measles, suffer more frequently from non measles
associated diseases." "The data show a highly significant correlation between
lack of measles exanthema and auto-immune diseases, seborrhoeic skin diseases,
degenerative diseases of the bones and certain tumors . . . We think that the
rash is caused by a cell mitigated immune reaction, which destroys the cells
infected with the measles virus. If this is correct, the missing exanthema may
indicate that intracellular virus components have escaped neutralization during
the acute infection. This may later lead to the aforementioned diseases... The
presence of specific antibodies at the time of infection interferes with the
normal immune response against the measles virus, in particular with the
development of the specific cell mitigated immunity (and/or cyto-toxic
reactions). The intracellular measles virus can then survive the acute infection
and cause diseases manifesting in the adult age.
Shaheen SO, Aaby P, Hall AJ, Barker DJ, Heyes CB, Shiell AW, Goudiaby
A. Measles and atopy in Guinea-Bissau. Lancet. 1996 Jun
29;347(9018):1792-6. Medical Research Council Environmental Epidemiology Unit,
University of Southampton, Southhampton General Hospital, UK.
BACKGROUND: Epidemiological studies have led to speculation that infections in
early childhood may prevent allergic sensitisation but evidence to support this
hypothesis is lacking. We investigated whether measles infection protects
against the development of atopy in children of Guinea-Bissau, West Africa.
METHODS: We conducted a historical cohort study in Bandim, a semi-rural district
of Bissau, the capital of Guinea-Bissau. 395 young adults, first surveyed in
1978-80 aged 0-6 years, were followed up in 1994. Our analyses were restricted
to 262 individuals still living in Bandim for whom a measles history, documented
in childhood, was judged to be reliable. We defined atopy as skin-prick test
positivity (> or = 3 mm weal) to one or more of seven allergens. FINDINGS: 17
(12.8 percent) of 133 participants who had had measles infection were atopic
compared with 33 (25.6 percent) of 129 of those who had been vaccinated and not
had measles (odds ratio, adjusted for potential confounding variables 0.36 [95
percent CI 0.17-0.78], p=O.O1). Participants who had been breastfed for more
than a year were less likely to have a positive skin test to housedust mite.
After adjustment for breastfeeding and other variables, measles infection was
associated with a large reduction in the risk of skin-prick test positivity to
housedust mite (odds ratio for Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus 0.20 [0.05-0.81],
p=0.02; D farinae 0.20 [0.06-0.71], p=0.01). INTERPRETATION:
Measles infection may prevent the development of atopy in African
children. PMID: 8667923 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]
Simpanen E, van Essen R, Isomäki H. Remission of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (Still's disease) after measles. Lancet. 1977 Nov 5;2(8045):987-8. Links PMID: 72339 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Thiers H, Normand J, Fayolle J. Suspensive effect of measles on chronic psoriasis in children: 2 cases. Lyon Med. 1969 Nov 9;222(40):839-40. Links PMID: 5383408 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
Wahn U.
The immunology of fetuses and infants: What drives the allergic march?
Allergy 55 (7), 591-599 (2000)
Recovery from natural measles infection reduces the incidence of atopy and
allergic responses to house-dust mites to half that seen in vaccinated children.
Hitoshi Yamamoto, et al. Spontaneous improvement of intractable
epileptic seizures following acute viral infections. Brain and
Development
Volume 26, Issue 6, September 2004, Pages 377-379
In general, epileptic seizures become more serious following infections.
However, transient and permanent improvement of epileptic seizures has been
observed following acute viral infections, without a recent change in
anti-epileptic therapy. Questionnaires were sent to 73 institutions, throughout
Japan, where pediatric neurologists care for children with epilepsy to
characterize this phenomenon through clinician survey. Completed surveys were
received from 11 institutions, and 21 cases were selected for the study. The age
of the patients were 6 months to 17 years. The West syndrome or epilepsy
subsequent to West syndrome cases were 16 out of 21. Two cases of symptomatic
generalized epilepsy and one case each of symptomatic partial epilepsy,
continuous spike-waves of slow sleep and severe myoclonic epilepsy in infancy
were also reported. These seizures disappeared within 2 weeks subsequent to
viral infections such as, exanthema subitum, rotavirus colitis, measles and
mumps. The disappearance of intractable epileptic seizures following acute viral
infections might be related to the inflammatory processes or the increased
levels of antibodies after viral infections.
Yoshioka K, Miyata H, Maki S. Transient remission of juvenile
rheumatoid arthritis after measles. Acta Paediatr
Scand. 1981;70(3):419-20.
A 4-year-old Japanese girl with systemic juvenile rheumatoid arthritis had an
attack of measles. On the day following the first signs of measles she became
afebrile and free of joint pain even though aspirin therapy was discontinued.
The remission lasted for 10 days. It appears that the measles virus infection
may have been responsible for the brief remission in this patient. The
observation of a remission of juvenile rheumatoid arthritis after measles is
extremely rare. PMID: 7246137 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE]