Demyelinating disease and vaccination of the human papillomavirus

Abstract

Introduction. Primary prevention by prophylactic vaccination against the major cause of cervical cancer, the carcinogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) types 16 and 18, is now available worldwide. Postlicensure adverse neurological effects have been described. The studies realized after the license are descriptive and limited by the difficulty to obtain the information, despite most of the statistical indexes show that the adverse effects by the vaccine of the HPV are not upper compared with other vaccines, the substimation must be considered. Case reports. We describe the cases of four young women that developed demyelinating disease after the vaccination of the HPV, with a rank of time between the administration of the dose and the development of the clinical of seven days to a month, with similar symptoms with the successive doses. We have described six episodes coinciding after the vaccination. Conclusions. Have been described seizures, autoimmune disorders such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, transverse myelitis, or motor neuron disease, probably adverse effects following immunization by HPV vaccine. So we suggest that vaccine may trigger an immunological mechanism leading to demyelinating events, perhaps in predisposed young. © 2011 Revista de Neurología.