1. In IN pediatric patients aged 2months to 5 years who receive the MMR vaccination, is there an increased risk of autism against those who do not receive the vaccination? P= Children aged 2months to 5years. I= MMR vaccination C= No MMR vaccination O= Autism I believe you found the study articles that applied to this question. For this assignment all you have to do is list the independednt and dependent variables.
For the given assignment, the independent variable (IV) is the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccination, while the dependent variable (DV) is the incidence of autism. The study aims to investigate whether there is an increased risk of autism in pediatric patients aged 2 months to 5 years who receive the MMR vaccination compared to those who do not receive the vaccination.
To address this question, it is important to consider relevant research and studies on the topic. While I cannot review comprehensive literature in this response, I can provide an overview of some key findings and debates surrounding the association between MMR vaccination and autism.
1. Andrew Wakefield and the Lancet paper:
One influential study linking MMR vaccination to autism was published by Andrew Wakefield and colleagues in the medical journal Lancet in 1998. Their study involved 12 children and claimed to find a potential link between the MMR vaccine, gastrointestinal problems, and autism. However, subsequent investigations revealed serious flaws in the study design, ethical considerations, and conflicts of interest, prompting Lancet to retract the paper in 2010. Wakefield, the lead author, was struck off the medical register due to research misconduct.
2. Large-scale population studies:
Numerous large-scale population studies have been conducted to evaluate any association between MMR vaccination and autism. These studies involve thousands or millions of participants, making their findings more reliable than small-scale studies.
A seminal study published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2002 examined over 500,000 children in Denmark and found no evidence of an increased risk of autism associated with MMR vaccination. Similar studies conducted in other countries, such as the UK, Sweden, Japan, and the United States, have consistently supported these findings.
3. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses:
To provide a comprehensive overview of the available evidence, researchers have conducted systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which involve analyzing multiple studies on the same topic. These reviews provide a higher level of evidence and help establish more robust conclusions.
A notable example is a meta-analysis published in 2014 in the journal Vaccine, which included 10 studies involving over 1.2 million children. The analysis found no association between MMR vaccination and an increased risk of autism.
4. Current consensus among experts and organizations:
International scientific and medical organizations, including the World Health Organization (WHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), support the safety and efficacy of MMR vaccination. They emphasize that the benefits of vaccination, in terms of preventing potentially serious diseases, far outweigh the minimal risks.
In conclusion, based on the available research, it is important to recognize that there is an overwhelming consensus among the scientific community that the MMR vaccine does not increase the risk of autism in pediatric patients aged 2 months to 5 years. Studies with large sample sizes, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses consistently support this conclusion. Moreover, the retraction of the Wakefield study and the subsequent ethical concerns surrounding it further undermine any potential linkage.