Hepatitis B Vaccine _ Side Affects- Shortness of Breath, Hives, Diffculty Swallo

[CHris__0__0]

  I am a firefighter how was required to get vaccinated by the Hepatits B vaccine about 3 1/2 years ago.  After reading an article in the newspaper,  that one of firefighters started having hepaptits  conditions, and the article mentioned side affects such as hives and shortness of breathe.
  Before the vacciantion,  I was physically fit and could do almost any thing.  For the last 3 1/2 years my skin is very senstive and if scratched lightly, I will break out in a hive and I have experienced chronic asthma evry couple of months.  it seems to come and go on aquarterly basis.  Same with hives. Also I ahve difficulty swallowing foods and liquids evry couple of months, and I've had an upper GI Series done and they said it was normal.  I 'm not sure what to do, I 've seen a couple of doctors and they all think ists asthma and that I have a High Histamine level in my blood.  I think it;s kind of strange all these systems occur about three agos.   I'm not sure where seek any additional help, I've been to Pulimory specialist, Family Practionor and Allergist.  Is there some one else I could see and get some blood work dne to see if I have any of the side effects or some who could help look at the Vaers results of this Vaccine.  If anyone else has had these syptoms (symptoms) please contact me , so at least I'm not alone and maybe we could each other.
  thanx

[HFHS-MD-dm]

Dear Chris:

I read your letter with great interest.  My understanding is that about three years ago, after receiving the hepatitis B vaccine, you developed chronic asthma, a propensity to hives, a high histamine level and difficulty swallowing foods and liquids every months.  My sense is that you want to know if these symptoms are related to the hepatitis B vaccine, if their are additional blood tests you should have and if there is a specialist who can help you.  
Because your symptoms are not really typical of  liver disease, they are a little out of my range of expertise and I’m a little hesitant to recommend specific tests or yet another specialist.  Clearly you need a full evaluation by a knowledgeable and caring physician and you may have already had that.  If you do have chronic asthma and allergy type symptoms,   at the least you would want to see an allergist who can manage these problems in a manner you find acceptable.  I do want to comment, however, on whether your symptoms are related to the hepatitis B vaccine.  
Several months ago, I got another letter from MEDHELP asking about the hepatitis B vaccine   and I spent several hours in the library reading all the available literature I could find on adverse reactions to the vaccine because I wanted to provide very accurate information..  
There are a large number of articles that describe individual patients who had significant medical problems several weeks after receiving the hepatitis B vaccine.  These adverse reactions are often neurological or arthritis related.  These articles typically describe one to three patients that individual physicians have seen.  The problem with these articles is that they do not clearly show the adverse reactions, which can be severe, are clearly caused by the hepatitis B vaccine.  For instance, if you immunize a million people with the hepatitis B vaccine, five may develop multiple sclerosis.  But if you follow a million people who were not immunized, five of them may also develop multiple sclerosis.  This is important because, millions of people all over the world have been immunized with hepatitis B and some of them will develop medical problems but that in and of itself does not mean the problem was caused by the vaccine.
I read through the original studies that evaluated these vaccines when they were first developed and I looked at studies that evaluated large populations that had been vaccinated.  These studies suggested the hepatitis B vaccine had a safety profile that exceeds many commonly used vaccines.  They suggest the vaccine can in extremely rare cases involve an anaphylactic reaction that can potentially be life-threatening.  This reaction can cause hives or shortness of breath like your friend may have had but these symptoms typically occur at or around the time the injection is given. This reaction is different from the chronic asthma or chronic allergy symptoms that you are having and the two would not necessarily be related.  
Even though, I can’t find evidence that many other people have had the same problems you’ve had after the hepatitis B vaccine, that does not mean your symptoms are not related to the vaccine.  If you feel your symptoms are related to the hepatitis B vaccine, I think it is important that you notify  the company who made your vaccine and make sure your physician notifies proper authorities as well. I also agree, it is worthwhile to try to identify other people who feel they have had adverse reactions from the vaccine.  Overtime, many medications and some vaccines have been found to have significant problems and often these were discovered because individual patients or physicians spoke up and refused to be ignored.  I know that because of cases like your own, people are taking a closer look at the hepatitis B vaccine to see if a relationship can be proven between the vaccine and different medical problems.   But at the same time if the vaccine is safe, we need to establish that as well so that people do not refuse the vaccine because of misconceptions.  I see patients with bad cases of hepatitis B every day and I’m grateful we now have a vaccine.  I myself have been vaccinated.  
I hope this information is helpful to you. I would be interested in any additional information or questions you have. You can contact us through MEDHELP or at Henry Ford at [phone].
This response is being provided for general informational purposes only and should not be considered medical advice or consultation.  Always check with your personal physician when you have a question pertaining to your health.  

  chris