Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (73)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Gherardi, R. K.
Right arrow Articles by Authier, F.-J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Gherardi, R. K.
Right arrow Articles by Authier, F.-J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Brain, Vol. 124, No. 9, 1821-1831, September 2001
© 2001 Oxford University Press

Macrophagic myofasciitis lesions assess long-term persistence of vaccine-derived aluminium hydroxide in muscle

R. K. Gherardi, M. Coquet, P. Cherin, L. Belec, P. Moretto, P. A. Dreyfus, J.-F. Pellissier, P. Chariot and F.-J. Authier

1 Equipe mixte INSERM E 0011/Université Paris XII (`Système neuromusculaire et inflammation'), Groupe Nerf–Muscle, Département de Pathologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor de l'Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Créteil 2 Unité de Myopathologie, Département d'Anatomie Pathologique, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Bordeaux, Hôpital Pellegrin, Bordeaux 3 Service de Médecine Interne, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière and 4 Service de Microbiologie, Hôpital Européen Georges Pompidou, Paris, 5 Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires de Bordeaux-Gradignan (URA 5797 du CNRS), Le Haut Vigneau, Université Bordeaux 1, Gradignan and 6 Laboratoire de Biopathologie Nerveuse et Musculaire (JE 2053, Université Aix-Marseille II), Faculté de Médecine, Marseille, France.

Correspondence to: R.K. Gherardi (INSERM EI 0011), Département de Pathologie, Hôpital Henri Mondor, F-94010 Créteil Cedex, France E-mail: romain.gherardi@hmn.ap-hop-paris.fr

Macrophagic myofasciitis (MMF) is an emerging condition of unknown cause, detected in patients with diffuse arthromyalgias and fatigue, and characterized by muscle infiltration by granular periodic acid–Schiff's reagent-positive macrophages and lymphocytes. Intracytoplasmic inclusions have been observed in macrophages of some patients. To assess their significance, electron microscopy was performed in 40 consecutive cases and chemical analysis was done by microanalysis and atomic absorption spectrometry. Inclusions were constantly detected and corresponded to aluminium hydroxide, an immunostimulatory compound frequently used as a vaccine adjuvant. A lymphocytic component was constantly observed in MMF lesions. Serological tests were compatible with exposure to aluminium hydroxide-containing vaccines. History analysis revealed that 50 out of 50 patients had received vaccines against hepatitis B virus (86%), hepatitis A virus (19%) or tetanus toxoid (58%), 3–96 months (median 36 months) before biopsy. Diffuse myalgias were more frequent in patients with than without an MMF lesion at deltoid muscle biopsy (P < 0.0001). Myalgia onset was subsequent to the vaccination (median 11 months) in 94% of patients. MMF lesion was experimentally reproduced in rats. We conclude that the MMF lesion is secondary to intramuscular injection of aluminium hydroxide-containing vaccines, shows both long-term persistence of aluminium hydroxide and an ongoing local immune reaction, and is detected in patients with systemic symptoms which appeared subsequently to vaccination.


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 J Child NeurolHome page
B. Lach and E. J. Cupler
Macrophagic Myofasciitis in Children Is a Localized Reaction to Vaccination
J Child Neurol, June 1, 2008; 23(6): 614 - 619.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 Mult SclerHome page
C. Exley, G. Mamutse, O. Korchazhkina, E. Pye, S. Strekopytov, A. Polwart, and C. Hawkins
Elevated urinary excretion of aluminium and iron in multiple sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis, September 1, 2006; 12(5): 533 - 540.
[Abstract] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
C. Fernandez, A. M. de Paula, D. Figarella-Branger, M. Krahn, R. Giorgi, B. Chabrol, M. -F. Monfort, J. Pouget, and J. -F. Pellissier
Diagnostic evaluation of clinically normal subjects with chronic hyperCKemia
Neurology, May 23, 2006; 66(10): 1585 - 1587.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 PNHome page
F L Mastaglia
Drug induced myopathies
Practical Neurology, February 1, 2006; 6(1): 4 - 13.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Ann Rheum DisHome page
J Sibilia and J F Maillefert
Vaccination and rheumatoid arthritis
Ann Rheum Dis, July 1, 2002; 61(7): 575 - 576.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.