Otosclerosis, Measles and MMR Vaccine Questions

Otosclerosis affects around 10% of the US population, according to some reports, and others state 3%. It has been referred to as an autosomal dominant disorder, which means that a child who has one parent with otosclerosis, has a 50% chance of developing the condition. However, those who have the gene for otosclerosis, may never develop the condition, unless something triggers it. Researches have found, that there is a link between the development of otosclerosis, and a prior infection of the measles virus.

They then proceed to make the assumption that, since there is a decline in the occurrence of otosclerosis, it is no doubt due to the widespread MMR vaccination  procedure. It is difficult to understand how a vaccination with a live measles virus can reduce the occurrence of otosclerosis, whereas, a bout of regular measles can causes otosclerosis, in one predisposed. Difficult to comprehend how vaccination with a live measles virus, in a 12 month infant, can protect them against developing otosclerosis.

Otosclerosis Measles and MMR Vaccine Questions

Others report that the decline in otosclerosis may be as a result of water fluoridation!

The practice of injecting 3 live viruses in an infant of around 12 months, well before their immune system has developed, may cause one to ponder the possible far reaching effects this practice has, on the future health of the infant.

The possible longterm effects of the multiplicity of vaccines administered to infants, no doubt presents a massive challenge to their fragile undeveloped immune system.

Following is an abstract for a  study done in Germany on otosclerosis. The conclusion reached is that measles vaccination has caused a decline in the number of hospital treatments for otosclerosis. They then mention that the reduction of cases appears to be more significant in males, than females, and that observation appears to have been left to resolve itself. Why is the result skewed in such a manner? Why are females still ending up with otosclerosis, in spite of having been vaccinated? This would hardly be an argument to support widespread measles vaccination.

Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2007 Jul;264(7):741-8. Epub 2007 Feb 13.
The influence of measles vaccination on the incidence of otosclerosis in Germany.

Arnold W, Busch R, Arnold A, Ritscher B, Neiss A, Niedermeyer HP.

Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University of Munich, 81675, Munich, Germany. w.arnold@lrz.tum.de
Abstract

The exact cause of otosclerosis is unknown. Measles virus RNA is found in otosclerotic foci in footplates removed during surgery. Measles virus infection may activate the gene responsible for otosclerosis. Otosclerosis, however, is not responsible for all cases of stapes ankylosis. A heterogeneous group of disorders, including other bone degenerative disorders, appears to cause stapes fixation and conductive hearing loss.

Otosclerosis is often associated with osteogenesis imperfect (van der Hoeve syndrome) in a classic triad of hearing loss (conductive, mixed, or sensorineural), spontaneous bone fractures, and blue sclera.
The pathologic process of otosclerosis is characterized by an inflammatory lytic phase followed by an abnormal bone remodeling at very specific sites of predilection.

There is a clear genetic predisposition with about half of all cases occurring in families with more than one affected member. Females are affected more frequently than males with an approximate 2:1 ratio. N, H, and F measles proteins as well as measles virus RNA have been demonstrated in osteoblasts, chondroblasts, and macrophages of the inflammatory phase of the disease. These observations merely show an association between measles viruses and otosclerosis.

In the present study, we tried to prove that there is a causal relationship: voluntary measles vaccination has been available in Germany since 1974. In the absence of official data, we reconstructed the rate of vaccination coverage between 1974 and 2004 using information from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI, Berlin) and from the literature. From the German Federal Office of Statistics, we received the data of 64,112 patients who had been hospitalized between 1993 and 2004 and in whom otosclerosis (ICD-9: 387; ICD-10: H80) had been confirmed.

We calculated the effect of measles vaccination on the incidence of hospital treatments for otosclerosis in the period from 1993 to 2004 in Germany. For this purpose, we divided the female and male otosclerosis patients treated as inpatients each year in the observation period into two age groups: those up to 25 years, who had in most cases been vaccinated (designated below as "vaccinated patients") and those over 25 years who mostly could not have been vaccinated (designated below as "unvaccinated patients"). We calculated the incidence of otosclerosis requiring inpatient treatment for the two age groups in each year in the period of observation. For external validation of the study results, the same analysis was carried out in all patients who received inpatient treatment for otitis media in the same period.

Between 1993 and 2004 the incidence of hospital treatments for otosclerosis decreased to a significantly greater extent in the vaccinated patients than in the unvaccinated patients. The decline is much greater in men than in women. A comparable effect cannot be demonstrated in patients with otitis media. The results indicate that measles vaccination in Germany has resulted in a significant reduction in the number of hospital treatments for otosclerosis in the vaccinated age groups. We conclude that there is a causal relationship between measles viruses and the development of otosclerosis.