Effects of diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis or tetanus vaccination on allergies and allergy-related respiratory symptoms among children and adolescents in the United States

Background: Findings from animal and human studies confirm that diphtheria and tetanus toxoids and pertussis (DTP) and tetanus vaccinations induce all ergic responses; associations between childhood vaccinations and subsequent allergies have been reported recently. Objective: The association of DTP or tetanus vaccination with allergies and allergy-related respiratory symptoms among children and adolescents in the United States was assessed. Methods: Data were used from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examin ation Survey on infants aged 2 months through adolescents aged 16 years. DT P or tetanus vaccination, lifetime allergy history, and allergy symptoms in the past 12 months were based on parental or guardian recall. Logistic reg ression modeling was performed to estimate the effects of DTP or tetanus va ccination on each allergy. Results: The odds of having a history of asthma was twice as great among va ccinated subjects than among unvaccinated subjects (adjusted odds ratio, 2. 00; 95% confidence interval, 0.59 to 6.74). The odds of having had any alle rgy-related respiratory symptom in the past 12 months was 63% greater among vaccinated subjects than unvaccinated subjects (adjusted odds ratio, 1.63; 95% confidence interval, 1.05 to 2.54). The associations between vaccinati on and subsequent allergies and symptoms were greatest among children aged 5 through 10 years. Conclusions: DTP or tetanus vaccination appears to increase the risk of all ergies and related respiratory symptoms in children and adolescents. Althou gh it is unlikely that these results are entirely because of any sources of bias, the small number of unvaccinated subjects and the study design limit our ability to make firm causal inferences about the true magnitude of eff ect.