Hepatitis B vaccine not linked to MS

PARIS, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- The majority of children vaccinated against hepatitis B are not at an increased risk of developing multiple sclerosis, French researchers say.

The study involved 349 children in France with MS and 2,941 children without the disease -- all under the age of 16. A total of 24.4 percent of the children with MS were vaccinated for hepatitis B in the three years before the study, compared to 27.3 percent for the children without MS.

Although the study found that hepatitis B vaccination does not generally increase the risk of MS, the children with MS were 1.74 times more likely to have received a certain type of hepatitis B vaccine, called Engerix B.

The study, published in the journal Neurology, found these children with MS developed symptoms three or more years after the vaccine, however, the risk was only found for this specific type of hepatitis B vaccine and not found for all vaccines against hepatitis B.

This association cannot be taken as confirmation that the vaccine caused MS, but further studies are needed to determine of there is a causal relationship, the researchers said.