Many people think that vaccines can cause arthritis.
Vaccines and Arthritis
That’s not surprising, as there are many case reports associating vaccines and arthritis.
Arthritis is even listed as an adverse reaction in the package insert for the MMR vaccine.
And chronic arthritis is also listed as a table injury for vaccines containing the rubella virus.
Can Vaccines Cause Arthritis?
So that means that vaccines cause arthritis, right?
Actually, no, it doesn’t. At least not the type of arthritis that most people associate with the term arthritis.
Wait, what does that mean?
Vaccines do not cause juvenile arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis, for example.
“Rubella-containing vaccines (e.g. MMR) can cause mild, acute, transient arthralgia or arthritis, rarely in children but very commonly in certain adult women (between 10-25% of adult female vaccinees without preexisting rubella immunity), usually beginning 1-3 weeks after vaccination and then persisting up to 3 weeks. Other vaccines currently routinely recommended to the general population in the U.S. have not been shown to cause chronic arthralgia or arthritis.”
Do Vaccines Cause Arthralgia or Arthritis?
While rubella-containing vaccines can cause arthritis, it is a mild type of arthritis that is usually temporary, lasting about two days.
“Postpubertal females should be informed of the frequent occurrence of generally self-limited arthralgia and/or arthritis beginning 2 to 4 weeks after vaccination.”
MMR-II Package Insert
It is also rare in children.
And it also occurs after a natural rubella infection. In fact, up to 70% of adult women with rubella develop arthralgia or arthritis.
Of course, arthritis isn’t the rubella complication that we worry about…
During the rubella epidemic in the United States just before the rubella vaccine was developed, there were 2,000 cases of encephalitis, 11,250 therapeutic or spontaneous abortions, 2,100 neonatal deaths, and 20,000 babies born with congenital rubella syndrome.
Vaccines for Arthritis
Except for temporary arthritis after the rubella vaccine, not only do vaccines not cause arthritis, it is recommended that people with chronic arthritis get vaccinated.
“Keeping up with your vaccinations is always a smart move, but getting immunized is especially important when you have an autoimmune disease like rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Both RA and the medicines you take to treat it can increase your risk for infections.”
RA & Vaccinations
And one day, we might even have therapeutic vaccines for arthritis!
Rheumavax completed a phase I clinical trial in Australia a few years ago. That led to the development of a new drug, DEN-181, that is now in phase 1 trials.
What to Know About Vaccines Causing Arthritis
Rubella containing vaccines can cause mild, temporary arthritis, but mostly in postpubertal females and less commonly than after a natural rubella infection.
More on Vaccines and Arthritis
- Are Vaccines Causing Long-Term Health Problems?
- Are There Any Long-Term Studies On Vaccine Safety?
- America’s New Normal: Propaganda About the Unhealthiest Generation
- Diagnosing Vaccine Injuries
- Are the Risks Greater Than the Benefits for Any Vaccines?
- Show Me the Vaccine Insert!
- Do Vaccines Cause Arthralgia or Arthritis?
- Vaccine Safety Do Vaccines Cause Systemic Lupus Erythematosus?
- Vaccine Injury Table
- Anti-vaccine quiz gets it all wrong – silliness from Wisconsin anti-vaxxers
- National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program Facts
- FDA – MMR-II Package Insert
- CDC – Measles, Mumps, and Rubella (MMR) Vaccine Safety
- CDC – Manual for the Surveillance of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
- RA & Vaccinations
- Vaccinations for Rheumatoid Arthritis
- Study – The safety and effectiveness of HBV vaccination in patients with juvenile idiopathic arthritis controlled by treatment.
- Study – Citrullinated peptide dendritic cell immunotherapy in HLA risk genotype-positive rheumatoid arthritis patients.
- Clinical Trial – DEN-181 in rheumatoid arthritis patients
- DEN-181 for rheumatoid arthritis