Health effects in vaccinated versus unvaccinated children, with covariates for breastfeeding status and type of birth

Abstract

Using survey data from respondents associated with three medical practices in the US, vaccinated children were compared to unvaccinated children for the incidence of severe allergies, autism, gastrointestinal disorders, asthma, ADHD, and chronic ear infections. All diagnoses were based on parental reporting with chart review for confirmation of diagnoses. Cases were stratified with non-cases based on year of birth and sex, and compared using a logistic regression model which also accounted for breastfeeding status and type of birth (vaginal versus cesarean section). Vaccinated children were significantly more likely than unvaccinated children to be diagnosed with severe allergies (OR = 4.31, 95% CI 1.67 - 11.1), autism (OR = 5.03, 95% CI 1.64 - 15.5), gastrointestinal disorders (OR = 13.8, 95% CI 5.85 - 32.5), asthma (OR = 17.6, 95% CI 6.94 - 44.4), ADHD (OR = 20.8, 95% CI 4.74 - 91.2), and chronic ear infections (OR = 27.8, 95% CI 9.56 - 80.8). Vaccinated children were less likely to be diagnosed with chickenpox (OR = 0.10, 95% CI 0.029