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Increases in Autism Does Not Appear To Be Related To Vaccinations

January 7th, 2008 | by David Reiner, M.D. |

                               

Concerns regarding the link between childhood vaccinations and the development of autism have existed for some time.  It has been suggested that the preservative Thimerosal, which contains mercury, that had been prevalent in vaccines prior to 2000 may be a causative factor.  However, this relationship has never been proven, and no careful studies have been performed to substantiate this concern.

A careful observational study was performed by the California Department of Developmental Services where they studied trends in the diagnosis of autism from January 1995 to March 2007.  Since 1999, significant efforts to eliminate Thimerosal from vaccines occurred, allowing differences in the rate of development of autism to be evaluated.  This study found that in children ages 3 to 12, the rates of autism have continued to rise, despite the elimination of Thimerosal from vaccines.

This study supports the opinion of most experts that Thimerosal exposure from vaccines is not linked to the development of autism.  Additionally, it has been suggested that the rising incidence of autism may be merely due to the fact that it is a more recognized entity over the last decade, hence it is being diagnosed and reported with more frequency over this time.  This theory suggests that it may have been present in a similar frequency, but just underdiagnosed in earlier decades.

Reference: Schecter R et al, Archives of General Psychiatry 2008;65(1):19-24.

Tags: autism, mercury, vaccines