Dataset Information

Mercury levels in premature and low birth weight newborn infants after receipt of thimerosal-containing vaccines.

ABSTRACT: We conducted a population-based pharmacokinetic study to assess blood levels and elimination of mercury after vaccination of premature infants born at > or =32 and <37 weeks of gestation and with birth weight > or =2000 but <3000 g.Blood, stool, and urine samples were obtained before vaccination and 12 hours to 30 days after vaccination from 72 premature newborn infants. Total mercury levels were measured by atomic absorption.The mean +/- standard deviation (SD) birth weight was 2.4 +/- 0.3 kg for the study population. Maximal mean +/- SD blood mercury level was 3.6 +/- 2.1 ng/mL, occurring at 1 day after vaccination; maximal mean +/- SD stool mercury level was 35.4 +/- 38.0 ng/g, occurring on day 5 after vaccination; and urine mercury levels were mostly nondetectable. The blood mercury half-life was calculated to be 6.3 (95% CI, 3.85 to 8.77) days, and mercury levels returned to prevaccination levels by day 30.The blood half-life of intramuscular ethyl mercury from thimerosal in vaccines given to premature infants is substantially shorter than that of oral methyl mercury in adults. Because of the differing pharmacokinetics, exposure guidelines based on oral methyl mercury in adults may not be accurate for children who receive thimerosal-containing vaccines.

SUBMITTER: Pichichero ME

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2767297 | biostudies-other | 2009 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Mercury levels in premature and low birth weight newborn infants after receipt of thimerosal-containing vaccines.

Pichichero Michael E ME Gentile Angela A Giglio Norberto N Alonso Margarita Martin MM Fernandez Mentaberri Maria Veronica MV Zareba Grazyna G Clarkson Thomas T Gotelli Carlos C Gotelli Mariano M Yan Lihan L Treanor John J

The Journal of pediatrics 20090626 4

<h4>Objective</h4>We conducted a population-based pharmacokinetic study to assess blood levels and elimination of mercury after vaccination of premature infants born at > or =32 and <37 weeks of gestation and with birth weight > or =2000 but <3000 g.<h4>Study design</h4>Blood, stool, and urine samples were obtained before vaccination and 12 hours to 30 days after vaccination from 72 premature newborn infants. Total mercury levels were measured by atomic absorption.<h4>Results</h4>The mean +/- st ...[more]

PMID: 19560158

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Project description:Strabismus causes irreversible vision loss if not detected and treated early. It is unclear whether birth weight (BW) and gestational age (GA) are risk factors for strabismus.To estimate the effect of BW and GA on the likelihood of premature infants developing strabismus.In this longitudinal cohort analysis, we monitored a group of premature children from birth to determine the proportion that developed strabismus and the timing of the first strabismus diagnosis. Multivariable Cox regression analyses assessed the relationships of BW and GA with the development of strabismus. Regression models were adjusted for other risk factors for strabismus, sociodemographic factors, and ocular comorbidities. The analysis included 38,055 otherwise healthy children born prematurely who were enrolled for more than 6 months in a nationwide US managed care network between 2001 and 2011 in communities throughout the United States.Birth weight less than 2000 g or GA of 32 weeks or less.Hazard ratios (HRs) for strabismus with 95% CIs.Of 38,055 otherwise healthy children who were born prematurely, 583 received a diagnosis of strabismus later in life. The cumulative incidence of strabismus was 3.0% at 5 years. Controlling for GA and other covariates, infants born with BW less than 2000 g had a 61% increased hazard (HR, 1.61; 95% CI, 1.22-2.13) of developing strabismus. Controlling for BW and other covariates, there was no significant association between strabismus and GA (HR, 0.98; 95% CI, 0.69-1.38). Among premature infants with BW of less than 2000 g, a GA of 32 weeks or less conveyed no additional increased risk for developing strabismus relative to infants born after 32 weeks (HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 0.86-1.88). In contrast, among infants with a GA of 32 weeks or less, BW of less than 2000 g conveyed a 14-fold increase in the risk of strabismus relative to BW of 2000 g or more (HR, 14.39; 95% CI, 1.99-104.14).Independent of GA, very low BW conferred a large increase in strabismus risk among premature infants. In contrast, independent of BW, GA did not significantly affect the risk of strabismus. Updates to existing guidelines in the pediatric and ophthalmic literature should be considered, highlighting the importance of BW rather than GA and alerting clinicians about the need for careful monitoring of premature infants with low BW for strabismus.

Dataset Information

Mercury levels in premature and low birth weight newborn infants after receipt of thimerosal-containing vaccines.

Publications

Mercury levels in premature and low birth weight newborn infants after receipt of thimerosal-containing vaccines.

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