October is Dysautonomia Awareness Month. Dysautonomia (pronounced dis’-auto-no’-me-uh) is a group of neurological conditions that affect more than 70 million people worldwide.
The Gardasil lawyers at Wisner Baum represent numerous young men and women who were diagnosed with dysautonomia and other autoimmune disorders after receiving the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine. Our Gardasil lawsuits allege Merck concealed, and continues to conceal, the truth about its HPV vaccine from consumers, including the fact that studies have linked Gardasil to harmful side effects, including dysautonomia.
For many people, the signs and symptoms of dysautonomia do not always point to a straightforward diagnosis. Finding the right medical treatment to help alleviate those symptoms can be frustrating and difficult as well. It is our hope that this blog will become a resource for people who may be suffering from side effects like dysautonomia after receiving the Gardasil vaccine.
What is Dysautonomia?
Dysautonomia is an overarching term that describes numerous medical ailments that cause dysfunction to the Autonomic Nervous System, which controls involuntary bodily functions, including:
- Heart rate
- Blood pressure
- Digestion
- Dilation and constriction of the eye’s pupils
- Kidney function
- Sleep cycles
- Sweating
- Temperature moderation
Those who suffer from different forms of dysautonomia are unable to properly regulate these bodily systems, which often results in:
- Lightheadedness
- Fainting
- Unstable blood pressure
- Abnormal heart rates
- Malnutrition
- In severe cases, death
Dysautonomia is a condition affecting millions across the world. Genetic (pediatric) dysautonomia is rare. In teens and adults, dysautonomia is believed to be secondary to certain medications and vaccines, head and spinal cord injuries, cancer treatments, and diabetes. People of all demographics are affected by these conditions. Unfortunately, there is currently no cure for dysautonomia, and most patients suffer for months, if not years before they receive a dysautonomia diagnosis. This is mainly due to a lack of public and professional medical awareness.
Common Forms of Dysautonomia
Some of the most common forms of dysautonomia include:
- Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
- The organ systems most often impacted by POTS are:
- Neurological
- Pulmonary
- Cardiovascular
- Urinary
- Gastrointestinal
- Secretomotor
- Pupillomotor
- POTS symptoms include (among others):
- Lightheadedness
- Fainting
- Tachycardia
- Chest pains
- Shortness of breath
- GI upset
- Shaking
- Exercise intolerance
- Temperature sensitivity
- The organ systems most often impacted by POTS are:
- Neurocardiogenic Syncope (NCS)
- The most common form of dysautonomia.
- Impacts millions of people around the world.
- Can range from mild to severe, with fainting spells once or twice throughout a lifetime or fainting several times per day.
- Those with moderate to severe NCS have trouble staying engaged at work, school, and in social situations as a result of frequent fainting spells.
- Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
- A rare and fatal dysautonomia condition found in adults aged 40 and above.
- Impacts about 350,000 patients across the globe.
- A neurodegenerative disorder that shares similarities with Parkinson’s disease, however, MSA patients are typically completely bedridden within two years of diagnosis and lose their lives within five to 10 years.
Dysautonomia Symptoms
Those who suffer from dysautonomia have a wide range of symptoms based on the type of autonomic dysfunction and where it occurs in the body. Dysautonomias impact several organ systems, and the symptoms vary significantly between different patients.
For instance, one person with POTS may primarily experience abdominal pain, while another could frequently suffer from migraine headaches.
Some of the most common symptoms associated with dysautonomia conditions include:
- Difficulty standing still
- Fatigue
- Lightheadedness
- Nausea and other GI symptoms
- Brain fog and mental clouding
- Palpitations or chest discomfort
- Shortness of breath or breathing challenges
Image obtained from The Dysautonomia Project.
Dysautonomia and Gardasil HPV Vaccine
Gardasil has been marketed as a “cervical cancer vaccine” that aims to stop up to nine of the hundreds of strains of the human papillomavirus (HPV). The manufacturer of Gardasil, Merck, has been accused of fast-tracking the vaccine using the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval process and deceitfully carrying out the clinical trials for Gardasil to hide significant side effects and overstate the vaccine’s effectiveness.
After careful review, medical experts have discovered that the mixture of adjuvants combined in Gardasil is accountable for post-vaccination-induced autoimmune diseases in particular patients, including dysautonomia.
The authors of the study, Benefits and Harms of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines: Systemic Review with Meta-Analyses of Trial Data from Clinical Study Reports, 9 Systematic Reviews 43 (February 2020), found that “HPV vaccines increased serious nervous disorders,” and were connected to a nearly two-fold increased risk of POTS.
Lawsuits allege that Gardasil is associated with dysautonomia and other autoimmune conditions as a result of the vaccine containing a number of dangerous ingredients, including at least one that Merck neglected to disclose to regulators and the public. These ingredients include the following:
- Aluminum (Amorphous Aluminum Hydroxyphosphate Sulfate, or AAHS)
- A strong neurotoxin that has the potential to result in severe harm:
- Impairs motor and cognitive function
- Induces autoimmune interactions
- Increases blood-brain barrier permeability
- Induces macrophagic myofascitis in muscle
- Blocks neuronal signals
- Interrupts cell-to-cell communications
- Corrupts neuronal-glial interactions
- Interferes with synaptic transmissions
- Alters enzyme function
- Impairs protein function
- Fosters the development of abnormal tau proteins
- Alters DNA
- An undisclosed DNA adjuvant
- Merck has been accused of deceiving the FDA and the public about including a secret and potentially dangerous ingredient, HPV LI-DNA fragments, in the Gardasil vaccine. The scientific literature on the subject indicates that there are severe and not well-understood hazards coincident with injecting DNA into the human body.
- Borax
- Borax has been banned by the FDA as a food additive in the United States, but Merck decided to use it in the Gardasil vaccine without any evidence that it is safe.
- Polysorbate 80
- Unlocks the blood-brain barrier and allows AAHS and aluminum to pass through resistive cell membranes.
- Genetically Modified Yeast
- Studies show that genetically modified yeast has been connected to several autoimmune ailments.
Studies Link Gardasil to Dysautonomia Diseases, Including POTS and Orthostatic Intolerance (OI)
The amount of scientific research that links Gardasil to autoimmune diseases such as dysautonomia, POTS, OI, and others continues to grow. Below, you will find several studies that have found a connection between Gardasil and autoimmune conditions:
- Lars Jørgensen et al., Benefits and Harms of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccines: Systemic Review with Meta-Analyses of Trial Data from Clinical Study Reports, 9 SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 43 (2020)
- Svetlana Blitshetyn, Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) Vaccine Safety Concerning POTS, CRPS and Related Conditions, Clinical Autonomic Research (2019)
- Svetlana Blitshetyn et al., Autonomic Dysfunction and HPV Immunization An Overview, Immunologic Research (2018)
- Jill R. Schofield et al., Autoimmunity, Autonomic Neuropathy, and HPV Vaccination, A Vulnerable Subpopulation, Clinical Pediatrics (2017)
- Rebecca E. Chandler et al., Current Safety Concerns With Human Papillomavirus Vaccine: A Cluster Analysis of Reports in VigiBase, 40 Drug Safety 81 (2017)
- Tom Jefferson et al., Human Papillomavirus Vaccines, Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and Autonomic Dysfunction – A Review of the Regulatory Evidence from the European Medicines Agency, 3 Indian J. of Med. Ethics 30 (2017)
- Louise S. Brinth et al., Orthostatic Intolerance and Postural Tachycardia Syndrome As Suspected Adverse Effects of Vaccination Against Human Papilloma Virus, 33 Vaccine 2602 (2015)
- Manuel Martinez-Lavin et al., HPV Vaccination Syndrome. A Questionnaire Based Study, 34 J. Clinical Rheumatology 1981 (2015)
- Louise S. Brinth et al., Is Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis a Relevant Diagnosis in Patients with Suspected Side Effects to Human Papilloma Virus Vaccine, 1 Int. J. of Vaccine & Vaccination 3 (2015)
- Svetlana Blitshetyn, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome Following Human Papillomavirus Vaccination, 21 European J. of Neurology 135 (2014)
- Tomomi Kinoshita et al., Peripheral Sympathetic Nerve Dysfunction in Adolescent Japanese Girls Following Immunization With Human Papillomavirus Vaccine, 53 Internal Medicine 2185 (2014)
- Svetlana Blitshetyn, Postural Tachycardia Syndrome After Vaccination with Gardasil, 17 European J. of Neurology e52 (2010)
How is Dysautonomia Diagnosed?
Although doctors try various methods to diagnose dysautonomia, there is really no single test to diagnose it. As with most autoimmune diseases, dysautonomia is often initially misdiagnosed and misunderstood. It sometimes takes years to get a formal diagnosis and requires examination by various specialists.
How is Dysautonomia Treated?
While there is no cure for dysautonomia, it may be treated. Treatment is primarily focused on managing the symptoms, such as dizziness and fainting.
A very expensive and time-consuming therapy known as intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) therapy has proven to be an effective treatment for people who suffer from dysautonomia and other antibody deficiencies. Some of our clients who have received this treatment are able to walk again, but they must maintain the IVIg sessions on a regular basis.
Dysautonomia Resources
The following are some resources to help you gain a better understanding of dysautonomia:
The Dysautonomia Project
Dysautonomia International
- 10 Facts About Dysautonomia
- Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS)
- Neurocardiogenic Syncope (NCS)
- Multiple System Atrophy (MSA)
Dysautonomia Information Network
Dysautonomia Support Network
The Ehlers-Danlos Society
Gardasil Lawsuit for People Suffering from Dysautonomia After HPV Vaccine
If you or your child were diagnosed with dysautonomia after receiving the Gardasil HPV vaccine, you may be able to pursue justice and compensation in a lawsuit against Merck. The Gardasil lawyer team at Wisner Baum represents hundreds of young women and men (Gardasil is also given to boys) throughout the U.S. who suffer from dysautonomia and other autoimmune diseases after receiving the HPV vaccine.
Contact our office by calling (855) 948-5098 or submitting an online contact form today to schedule your free consultation with one of our skilled Gardasil lawsuit attorneys.