The Verdict on Autism

Finally we can get down to some real issues regarding autism. As reported in this editorial in the Los Angeles Times, the US Court of Federal Claims has found no substantiated link between autism and the MMR vaccine or the vaccine additive thimerosal.

I have covered autism in two previous posts "The Question of Fragile X " (9/27/2008) and "Autism in the News " (4/4/2008). In both cases I have discussed some of the genetics behind this disease. For example Scientists know that autism is a multifactorial trait - meaning that it probably has both a genetic and environmental component. It is also most likely that autism is a disease that displays genetic heterogenity - meaning that it is actually several different diseases that express themselves the same way. Cancer is a good example of a disease with genetic heterogeneity - just because you get cancer does not mean that it is from the same cause.

Should we have never investigated the MMR vaccine or thimerosol? - of course not. It is always important for scientists to follow-up any leads as to a cause of a complex disease such as autism. However, numerous studies have indicated that the link between these and autism is almost insignificant. So why is this an issue? For too long the research community has been having to focus on only one cause - vaccines and their additives. This focus on one factor is not resource-friendly and it distracts from the search for a real cure. The results are in - time to move on.

There will be those individuals who accuse the government, CDC, and pharmaceuticals of a massive cover-up. Others will decide not to vaccinate their kids based on religious preferences. Neither of these two groups should be treated seriously since 1) our government is not smart enough to cover-up the simplest lie, and 2) the consequences of not being vaccinated far, far outweigh the risks.

We need to support autism research, even when the results do not match what we want. That is what science is all about.

Want more information - check out the National Institutes for Health pages on autism and the National Autistic Society page on autism genetics.