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How common are long-lasting, intensely itching vaccination granulomas and contact allergy to aluminium induced by currently used pediatric vaccines? A prospective cohort study

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Abstract

The frequency of long-lasting, intensely itching subcutaneous nodules at the injection site for aluminium (Al)-adsorbed vaccines (vaccination granulomas) was investigated in a prospective cohort study comprising 4,758 children who received either a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-polio-Haemophilus influenzae type b vaccine (Infanrix®, Pentavac®) alone or concomitant with a pneumococcal conjugate (Prevenar). Both vaccines were adsorbed to an Al adjuvant. Altogether 38 children (0.83 %) with itching granulomas were identified, epicutaneously tested for Al sensitisation and followed yearly. Contact allergy to Al was verified in 85 %. The median duration of symptoms was 22 months in those hitherto recovered. The frequency of granulomas induced by Infanrix® was >0.66 % and by Prevenar >0.35 %. The risk for granulomas increased from 0.63 to 1.18 % when a second Al-adsorbed vaccine was added to the schedule. Conclusion: Long-lasting itching vaccination granulomas are poorly understood but more frequent than previously known after infant vaccination with commonly used diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis-polio-Haemophilus influenzae type b and pneumococcal conjugate vaccines. The risk increases with the number of vaccines given. Most children with itching granulomas become contact allergic to aluminium. Itching vaccination granulomas are benign but may be troublesome and should be recognised early in primary health care to avoid unnecessary investigations, anxiety and mistrust.

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Abbreviations

Al:

Aluminium

CHC:

Child health care (center)

DTaP:

Diphtheria-tetanus-acellular pertussis (vaccine)

DTaP comb:

Combination vaccine including DTaP, polio, Hib, (hepatitis B)

E.B.:

Elisabet Bergfors (project leader of the study)

Hib:

Haemophilus influenzae type b (vaccine)

HPV:

Human papilloma virus (vaccine)

i.m.:

Intramuscular (injection)

MMR:

Measles-mumps-rubella (vaccine)

TBE:

Tick-borne encephalitis (vaccine)

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Acknowledgments

We thank Anna-Karin Schöld for handling the epicutaneous testing, Sara Sävemyr for registration of thousands of enquiry responses and Mikael Åkeborg at the Care Data Warehouse of Östergötland County Council for providing us with names, dates of birth and personal code numbers of children born in 2008. The study was carried out with ALF grants from Linköping University and the County Council of Östergötland.

Ethical statements

The study was approved by the Ethical Review Board in Linköping, Sweden (Dnr M110-09) and registered in the County Council of Östergötland according to the Personal Data Ordinance. The parents of all children participating in the clinical study gave informed consent before taking part in it.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare that they have no financial relationship with the organization that sponsored the research, nor any other conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Primary Health Care, The Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, PO Box 454, 40530, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Elisabet Bergfors

  2. Central Unit of Child Health Care, County Council of Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden

    Göran Hermansson

  3. Allergy Center, Linköping University Hospital, Linköping, Sweden

    Ulla Nyström Kronander

  4. The Research & Development Unit in Local Health Care, County Council of Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden

    Elisabet Bergfors, Lars Falk & Lars Valter

  5. Department of Dermatology and Venereology, County Council of Östergötland, Linköping, Sweden

    Lars Falk

  6. Department of Paediatrics, Sahlgrenska University Hospital-East, Gothenburg, Sweden

    Birger Trollfors

Authors
  1. Elisabet Bergfors
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  2. Göran Hermansson
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  3. Ulla Nyström Kronander
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  4. Lars Falk
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  6. Birger Trollfors
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Elisabet Bergfors.

Additional information

Communicated by Peter de Winter

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Bergfors, E., Hermansson, G., Nyström Kronander, U. et al. How common are long-lasting, intensely itching vaccination granulomas and contact allergy to aluminium induced by currently used pediatric vaccines? A prospective cohort study. Eur J Pediatr 173, 1297–1307 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-014-2318-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00431-014-2318-2

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