Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants

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Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA), or Shoenfeld's syndrome, is a hypothesised autoimmune disorder proposed by Israeli immunologist Yehuda Shoenfeld in 2011. [1] According to Shoenfeld, the syndrome is triggered by exposure to adjuvants and includes four conditions: "post-vaccination symptoms", macrophagic myofasciitis, Gulf war syndrome, sick building syndrome, and siliconosis. [2] [3] Shoenfeld alleges that the syndrome is caused by adjuvants such as silicone, tetramethylpentadecane, pristane, and aluminum. [4] However, causality is difficult to prove because ASIA only occurs in a small fraction of patients exposed to these adjuvants. [5] Additionally, proponents of this theory allege that the disorder can manifest anywhere from 2 days to 23 years after exposure. [3] Shoenfeld has also named Sjögren's syndrome as potentially being another facet of ASIA. [6]

However, apart from the theoretical concept of ASIA, there is a lack of reproducible evidence for any causal relationship between adjuvant and autoimmune condition. [7] A study of 18,000 people showed that there is no merit to the theory of autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants. [8]

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References

  1. Shoenfeld, Yehuda; Agmon-Levin, Nancy (February 2011). "'ASIA' - autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants". Journal of Autoimmunity. 36 (1): 4–8. doi:10.1016/j.jaut.2010.07.003. ISSN   1095-9157. PMID   20708902.
  2. Vera-Lastra, O; Medina, G; Cruz-Dominguez Mdel, P; Jara, LJ; Shoenfeld, Y (April 2013). "Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (Shoenfeld's syndrome): clinical and immunological spectrum". Expert Review of Clinical Immunology. 9 (4): 361–73. doi:10.1586/eci.13.2. PMID   23557271. S2CID   20667262.
  3. 1 2 Elwood, J. Mark; Linneberg, Allan; Gold, Michael; Gillis, David; Ameratunga, Rohan (1 November 2017). "Evidence Refuting the Existence of Autoimmune/Autoinflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA)". The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology: In Practice. 5 (6): 1551–1555.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jaip.2017.06.033. ISSN   2213-2198. PMID   28888842 . Retrieved 5 May 2019.
  4. Perricone, Carlo; Colafrancesco, Serena; Mazor, Roei D.; Soriano, Alessandra; Agmon-Levin, Nancy; Shoenfeld, Yehuda (December 2013). "Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) 2013: Unveiling the pathogenic, clinical and diagnostic aspects". Journal of Autoimmunity. 47: 1–16. doi:10.1016/j.jaut.2013.10.004. PMID   24238833.
  5. West, Sterling (2014). Rheumatology Secrets. Elsevier. p. 597. ISBN   9780323172875.
  6. Colafrancesco, S.; Perricone, C.; Priori, R.; Valesini, G.; Shoenfeld, Y. (June 2014). "Sjögren's syndrome: Another facet of the autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA)". Journal of Autoimmunity. 51: 10–16. doi:10.1016/j.jaut.2014.03.003. PMID   24774584.
  7. Hawkes D.; et al. (May 2015). "Revisiting adverse reactions to vaccines: A critical appraisal of Autoimmune Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA)". J. Autoimmun. 59: 77–84. doi:10.1016/j.jaut.2015.02.005. PMID   25794485.
  8. Philadelphia, The Children's Hospital of (17 September 2018). "Vaccines and Autoimmune/Inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA)". www.chop.edu. Retrieved 5 May 2019.