Autoimmune Mechanism and conditions Archives

Antibiotics/Autoimmune research

The following is a post from another NG. This would seem to indicate that antibiotics do lead to LGS which leads to candida which leads to autoimmune problems.

Derk

Hello, in trying to find information on the adverse effects of antibiotics....particularly the effects of antibiotics in inducing autoimmune disease....I stumbled across these 2 articles. They talk of tetracycline antibiotics inducing lupus and a few other autoimmune diseases. Now, while I do not believe that I have lupus...knock on wood....I do have vitiligo and it began 3 months after beginning tetracycline, which gives me reason to believe that antibiotics may be playing a role. I am at a loss as to what to do about it though, because the vit is centered around the areas that I had bad acne, and if I stop the antibiotics, the acne will return...I have experimented...so any advice you could give would be greatly appreciated. Here are the articles.
Minocycline Producing Adverse Drug Reactions

Among tetracycline antibiotics, minocycline produces more serious adverse events than do tetracycline or doxycycline, according to a report in the Oct. Archives of Dermatology (1997; 133: 1224-30). The authors surmise that minocycline metabolism may account for its increased frequency of serious adverse medication reactions. Cases of serious adverse events during therapy with a tetracycline antibiotic were identified from the authors' institution and from the published literature. Serious events included hypersensitivity syndrome reaction (HSR), serum sicknesslike reaction (SSLR), single organ dysfunction (SOD), and drug-induced lupus. The authors report: "Nineteen cases of HSR due to minocycline, 2 due to tetracycline, and 1 due to doxycycline were identified. Eleven cases of SSLR due to minocycline, 3 due to tetracycline, and 2 due to doxycycline were identified. All 33 cases of drug-induced lupus were attributable to minocycline. Forty cases of SOD from minocycline, 37 cases from tetracycline, and 6 from doxycycline were detected. Hypersensitivity syndrome reaction, SSLR, and SOD occur on average within 4 weeks of therapy, whereas minocycline-induced lupus occurs on average 2 years after the initiation of therapy." The article contains recommended tests and treatments for the various drug-induced problems identified. Minocycline is a tetracycline antibiotic with several characteristics that make it suitable for treating acne: broad spectrum, nearly complete oral absorption (even when taken with food), excellent penetration into sebum, and long half-life (permitting once-daily administration, which improves compliance). In addition, minocycline is the only anti-acne drug to which bacterial resistance has not been described. Despite its efficacy, minocycline may not be the safest drug for acne. Tetracycline itself has long been known to cause liver damage (microvesicular fatty degeneration) and both tetracycline and minocycline have been associated with allergic hepatitis. Recently Gough et al described a third type of minocycline-induced hepatic injury -- autoimmune hepatitis -- associated with symptoms suggesting systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Gough et al at the Early Inflammatory Arthritis Clinic at Selly Oak Hospital (in the West Midlands region of England) evaluated three young women who presented with recent-onset polyarthritis or polyarthralgia affecting the small joints of the hands and wrists. One patient also had chronic active hepatitis (confirmed by liver biopsy). All three were strongly positive for antinuclear antibodies (but not anti- DNA antibodies). The three patients had been taking minocycline for acne, and all symptoms resolved (including hepatitis) upon drug discontinuation. Later, three more young women and a 37-year old man were evaluated at the clinic; all had severe hepatitis and positive antinuclear antibodies (diffuse type), all were taking minocycline for acne, and all showed symptom resolution and a return to normal laboratory values within three months of discontinuing the drug. When minocycline was reinitiated, disease recurred. Subsequently Gough et al obtained data from 26 more patients with minocycline-induced autoimmune disease (SLE-like syndrome or hepatitis). Most patients were in their teens or twenties, most were women, and all were on prolonged minocycline therapy for acne. Two patients died, one from severe hepatitis and coma, one from pancytopenia. Another patient required a liver transplant. For the patients whose outcome was known, recovery was seen on minocycline withdrawal and symptoms recurred when the drug was reinitiated. The investigators concluded, "In view of the severity of some reactions, including two deaths and one liver transplant, the use of minocycline for acne should be considered carefully." Nevertheless, this autoimmune disease remains a relatively rare event. (Gough A et al. Brit Med J 1996;312:169-172. Ferner RE, Moss C. Brit Med J 1996;312:138.)

Follow Ups:

• Re: Antibiotics/Autoimmune research (Archive under autoimmune.) Walt Stoll 08:22:09 7/12/00 (0)

In Reply to: Antibiotics/Autoimmune research posted by derk on July 11, 2000 at 15:18:04:

Hi, derk.

THAT connection I am very familiar with! For some reason I was thinking that you were hearing about a direct effect on the autoimmune mechanism by antibiotics.

Walt