Wakefield's First Try: Before Wakefield said MMR vaccine caused Autism, he blamed it for Chron's

[Ian David]

Wakefield's First Try: Before Wakefield said MMR vaccine caused Autism, he blamed it for Chron's
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=222&topic_id=87948&mesg_id=87948

[LeftishBrit]

1. I remember this theory.

As someone who has had Crohns since childhood, I get really frustrated by these crank theories, which can take resources from genuine research. I didn't remember Wakefield's specific connection to it (no one had heard of him then), though I was aware at the time that the Royal Free was involved.

[TZ]

2. Here's what I don't get

All his crackpot theories were based on finding measles virus in the gut. Pardon me, but since the gut plays a large part of immunology why was this considered alarming?

[SheilaT]

3. Isn't Chron's

an auto-immune disorder?

My sons both have alopecia areata, an auto-immune disorder that causes hair loss. It's quite astonishing that I haven't yet done physical damage to some well-meaning person who assures me it's just stress that caused the hair loss.

I may not be the Best Mother in the World, but I am not such a monster as to have caused the amount of stress needed for my four-year old to lose all his hair. And then, a decade later, the ten year old.

[laconicsax]

4. It may not be.

I haven't read much on Crohn's in a while, but from what I remember, there was a prevalence of paratuberculosis bacteria in Crohn's cases that suggested another cause.

[LeftishBrit]

5. That is one of the many theories that has been proposed but there is no strong support

There is also no definite proof of it being an autoimmune disorder; but it is quite likely as many (not all) patients do show improvement when given immunosuppressant drugs, usually in much lower doses than for transplant patients.

[laconicsax]

6. Thanks for the info. n/t

[SheilaT]

7. One of the hallmarks of auto-immune diseases

seems to be that the person with it will have good days and bad days, or better days and worse days. With alopecia areata a person might sometimes grow hair, even if just a little, and other times be more bald. I'm under the vague impression that Crohn's is like that: sometimes it's worse than others. But it's definitely not something I'm very knowledgeable about.

And I always keep an open mind that from stress or eating the wrong kind of food. And guess what? They (or many of them, again I'm only somewhat informed here) turn out to be from a bacterial infection.