Neurologic adverse events following influenza A (H1N1) vaccinations in children.
BACKGROUND
Since the monovalent pandemic influenza A (H1N1) vaccine was recommended worldwide in October 2009, there has been a shortage of pediatric clinical data for post-vaccine neurologic adverse events (NAE), including Guillain-Barré syndrome. We reviewed pediatric NAE data following H1N1 vaccinations and for patients with peripheral neuropathy, we followed their progress.


METHODS
In our single-center study, we retrospectively reviewed 14 cases of children who visited the Division of Pediatric Neurology in the Department of Pediatrics of Chonnam National University Hospital due to NAE following monovalent influenza A (H1N1) vaccination between November 2009 and March 2010.


RESULTS
Clinical diagnoses for major NAE included: polyneuropathy in the extremities (11/14, 78.6%), sensory mononeuropathy with numbness in the left fibula area (1/14, 7.1%), Bell's palsy (1/14, 7.1%) and recent-onset acute headache only (1/14, 7.1%). Therefore, most patients were diagnosed as having peripheral neuropathy (13/14, 92.9%), and two met the Brighton Collaboration Guillain-Barré syndrome definition criteria for level 3 (the lowest level of diagnostic certainty).


CONCLUSIONS
Post-vaccine NAE were mainly motor weakness due to polyneuropathy, which had a good prognosis of complete improvement within a few months without sequelae.
Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, Chonnam National University, Gwangju, Korea.
Seung Jae
SJ
Lee
Young Ok
YO
Kim
Young Jong
YJ
Woo
Myeong Kyu
MK
Kim
Tai-Seung
TS
Nam
Young Kuk
YK
Cho
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D020275:Guillain-Barre Syndrome / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D053118:Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype / Q000276:immunology*; D007252:Influenza Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D008297:Male; D020258:Neurotoxicity Syndromes / Q000276:immunology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D007252:Influenza Vaccines