April 11, 2008

Jon Poling: Mitochondrial Dysfunction Not Rare In Autism

Dr. Poling suggesting medically defining "Mitochondrial Autism". I have been calling it "Poling Syndrome".

No matter what it is called, "what Hannah has" has been determined by HHS to be a vaccine injury. It is time for the medical community to define it, find what the percentage of kids with it are, screen for it and catch it before it descends into the "symptoms of Autism".

And if the medical authorities won't hear it from me, hear it from Jon Poling:

"As a neurologist, I have cared for those afflicted with SSPE (a rare but dreaded neurological complication of measles), paralytic polio and tetanus. If these serious vaccine-preventable diseases again become commonplace, the fault will rest solely on the shoulders of public health leaders and policymakers who have failed to heed the writing on the wall (scribbled by my 9-year old daughter)."

Reform the vaccine schedule before everyone abandons it.

Father: Child's case shifts autism debate
By Jon S. Poling
For the Journal-Constitution
Published on: 04/11/08

Autism in the U.S. has reached epidemic levels, at 1 in 150 children. Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, has recently upgraded autism to "an urgent health threat." The most contentious issue of the autism debate is the link to routine childhood vaccines. My daughter's case, Hannah Poling v. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, has changed this debate forever. Hannah has pointed us in a new and promising direction —- the mitochondria.

On Nov. 9, 2007, HHS medical experts conceded through the Department of Justice that Hannah's autism was triggered by nine childhood vaccinations administered when she was 19 months of age. This concession was granted without any courtroom proceedings or expert testimony, effectively preventing any public hearing discussing what happened to Hannah and why. Contrary to some reports, the Special Masters, "judges" who preside over the "vaccine court," did not issue a decision.

Four months later, on March 6, with trepidation my wife, Terry, and I stepped forward to announce this news —- providing hope and awareness to other families. The HHS expert documents that led to this concession and accompanying court documents remain sealed, though our family has already permitted release of Hannah's records to those representing the almost 5, 000 other autistic children awaiting their day in vaccine court.

Mitochondria key

To understand Hannah's case, it is important to understand mitochondria, which act like batteries in our cells to produce energy critical for normal function. Because the government's concession hinged on the presence of Hannah's underlying medical condition, mitochondrial dysfunction, some claim the decision is relevant to very few other children with autism. As a neurologist, scientist and father, I disagree.

Emerging evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction may not be rare at all among children with autism. In the only population-based study of its kind, Portuguese researchers confirmed that at least 7.2 percent, and perhaps as many as 20 percent, of autistic children exhibit mitochondrial dysfunction. While we do not yet know a precise U.S. rate, 7.2 percent to 20 percent of children does not qualify as "rare." In fact, mitochondrial dysfunction may be the most common medical condition associated with autism.

Biological markers

Although unlikely, if the Portuguese studies are incorrect and mitochondrial dysfunction were found to be a rarity occurring in less than 1 percent of all autism, it would still impact up to 10,000 children (250,000 worldwide), based on current estimates that 1 million people in the U.S. (25 million worldwide) have autism. If, on the other hand, the research showing that 7.2 percent to 20 percent of children with autism have mitochondrial dysfunction is correct, then the implications are both staggering and urgent.

Autism researchers do not currently understand whether mitochondrial dysfunction causes autism or is simply a secondary biological marker. Autism clearly has many different causes, and should really be separated into multiple autism(s). I propose that we clearly identify and research the subpopulation term of "mitochondrial autism," which is distinguished by its unique biological, but not genetic, markers.

Based on what we know now, it is time to follow the prestigious Institute of Medicine 2004 report regarding autism and vaccines:

"Determining a specific cause (for autism) in the individual is impossible unless the etiology is known and there is a biological marker. Determining causality with population-based methods requires either a well-defined at-risk population or a large effect in the general population."

A paradigm shift

When the IOM report was published, mitochondrial dysfunction defining an autistic subpopulation was not firmly established. Today there is no doubt that mitochondrial dysfunction represents a distinct autism subpopulation biological marker. I urge health officials and the IOM to embrace their own report and pursue this breakthrough in the science of autism. National public health leaders, including those at CDC, must now recognize the paradigm shift caused by this biological marker with regard to their current position of dispelling a vaccine-autism link.

In light of the Hannah Poling concession, science must determine more precisely how large the mitochondrial autism subpopulation is: 1 percent, 7.2 percent, 20 percent?


Based on the 2004 IOM analysis, if the mitochondrial autism subpopulation is found to be relatively uncommon, then all conclusions from prior epidemiological studies refuting an autism-vaccination link must be discarded. New studies then need to be performed exclusively with the mitochondrial subpopulation. If mitochondrial autism turns out to be common, then we could re-analyze the data from prior studies to determine if these studies were powered sufficiently based on a predicted effect size. If not powered appropriately, the conclusion refuting an autism-vaccine link would again have to be rejected. These statistical concepts are basic.

The current vaccine schedule, co-sponsored by the CDC and the American Academy of Pediatrics, injures a small but significant minority of children, my daughter unfortunately being one of those victims. Every day, more parents and some pediatricians reject the current vaccine schedule. In an abundance of caution, meaningful reform must be performed urgently to prevent the re-emergence of serious diseases like polio or measles.

Need for research

As a neurologist, I have cared for those afflicted with SSPE (a rare but dreaded neurological complication of measles), paralytic polio and tetanus. If these serious vaccine-preventable diseases again become commonplace, the fault will rest solely on the shoulders of public health leaders and policymakers who have failed to heed the writing on the wall (scribbled by my 9-year old daughter).

The mitochondrial autism scenario that my daughter has so eloquently painted has the CDC and public health experts logically cornered. Denial and fear tactics won't close Pandora's Box. Whether we find that mitochondrial autism is rare or common, there is urgent research left to be done to fully understand the interrelationship of vaccines, autism and mitochondria.

Reform of the vaccine schedule will be an important part of the solution, whether vaccines play a major or minor role in autism. Our public health agencies and programs need a reconstruction plan. Day one of the reconstruction hopefully starts at the Vaccine Safety Advisory Committee's Working Group, to be held at HHS headquarters today in Washington.

Dr. Jon S. Poling is a practicing neurologist in Athens and clinical assistant professor at the Medical College of Georgia.

17 comments:

Caroline Rodgers said...

If mitochondrial dysfunction proves to be a factor in a significant number of autism cases, it is urgent to find out what is causing mitochondria disorders in the first place. A 30-year-old study that has been overlooked (STEPHENS, R.H., TORBIT, C.A., GROTH, D.G., TAENZER, J.C., &
EDMONDS, P.D. (1978) Mitochondrial changes resulting from
ultrasound irradiation. In: White, D. & Lyons, E.A. ed.
Ultrasound in medicine, New York, Plenum Press, Vol. 4, pp.
591-594.) indicates that ultrasound can cause irreversible damage to mitochondria. I am the author of "Questions about Prenatal Ultrasound and the Alarming Increase in Autism" (midwiferytoday.com/articles/ultrasoundrodgers.asp), which makes the case that -- contrary to common belief and practice -- prenatal ultrasound is neither non-invasive nor risk-free.

Ginger Taylor said...

Caroline,

That would certainly fit into my medical picture. They ultra sounded me and Chandler to death.

Mito disorders can also be caused by thimerosal:

Thimerosal induces neuronal cell apoptosis by causing cytochrome c and apoptosis-inducing factor release from mitochondria.

Mitochondrial mediated thimerosal-induced apoptosis in a human neuroblastoma cell line (SK-N-SH).

Ginger Taylor said...

I tried to find the study online, but it is not posted any where. Caroline, if you have a copy, you should scan it and make it into a pdf to put online.

Caroline Rodgers said...

The study on ultrasound damage to mitochondria is not available online, but here is a link to a document that has an entire section on the biological effects of ultrasound, which refers to the study in question: www.inchem.org/documents/ehc/ehc/ehc22.htm. This document is also old, but may provide many clues to the medical issues plaguing children today. It is my belief that many birth disorders and defects today stem from genetic mutations caused by the routine and frequent use of prenatal ultrasound. Most women will be surprised to learn that significant changes in ultrasound technology and applications have never been tested for safety.

Mark said...

Hey
we had lots of ultra sounds too

Caroline Rodgers said...

A 2002 book published by the National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurements found that all studies indicating that diagnostic ultrasound was safe were based on data collected prior to 1991, when the FDA eight-fold increase in allowable acoustic output dramatically changed the field. Another concern is the exact timing of ultrasounds. When they are done at five and six weeks to confirm pregnancy, they are bathing an embryo the size of a grain of rice or lentil bean in sound waves that are transformed into heat. In the third trimester, when bones are more fully formed, the thermal effects of ultrasound can heat the skull 50 times faster than surrounding tissue. Can this be good for neighboring brain cells? This commonly used obstetrical tool has never been properly evaluated and may hold the key to the myriad unexplained health problems that have emerged in the past two decades.

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Anonymous said...

Too bad you have let this comment thread by totally spammed!! What Caroline Rodgers is saying is EXTREMELY important!