Has anyone else had the measles? When I was about 8 I had the measles as I wasn't vaccinated. A Doctor had diagnosed me with the measles when I was a baby so my notes said I didn't need to be vaccinated. Strangely, my Gran said it wasn't the measles, but the Doctors still refused to vaccinate me and then my Gran was proved right when I caught the measles later! Another case of the medical professionals getting it wrong, but that's not what this post is about.
I saw on the news yesterday that there is a connection with measles and weakened immunity. I was just pondering whether there might also be a connection between having had measles and developing a auto-immune disease later in life. So, have any of you had the measles?
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HedgeEnd
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Funny you should ask this. I had double pneumonia and measles all at the same time when I was an infant. 😩I wasn’t expected to live but somehow pulled through. However my system was definitely weakened and from the age of 13/14 I began having inexplicable illnesses (gastritis, headaches, rashes etc.) that were put down to nerves! At 25 I had a badly ulcerated gall-bladder removed, at 37 half my thyroid was removed and I lost 2 babies in my 20s at 20 weeks and 22 weeks for no known reason at that time. Only 6 years ago, aged 58, I was finally diagnosed with Lupus following a head to toe rash (reaction to the drugTerbinafine). So yes, I think we can safely say the measles, or the pneumonia, or the combination of both led to my weakened immune system. I have SLE. How has it affected you?
Thanks for the interesting post👍🏻 Take care 🤗 Spotty 💕
I've been diagnosed with UCTD. When I was younger I had every cold going, repeated throat infections and tonsillitis (had tonsils removed when I was 26). I think it would be interesting to find out if the measles could be a contributor - perhaps someone will do a study on it one day!!
I had recurring tonsillitis too and like you I had every cough and cold going. 🤧 However our family GP advised against having my tonsils removed as he said I’d get even more colds without them. 🤷♀️ I hope somebody does do a study about the relationship between measles and auto-immune diseases although it does seem to be already accepted that a serious virus, like measles, can be a trigger for Lupus and other auto-immune diseases. Too late for you and me though Hedge, but hopefully a study might prevent it for others in the future. 🤞🙏🏻
I saw the report about measles weakening immunity. I had it as a child in the days before vaccinations for them. Whether that has any link to my conditions now, I don’t know. The main aim of the report was to impress on anti vaxxers some of the risks of measles.
I agree that was the main aim of the report. I was just thinking that maybe there could be a connection between it and autoimmunity in later life. I am probably completely wrong, but it was just a thought. Perhaps they could do a study on it!!
Hi HedgeEnd! I have never had the measles as I was vaccinated with MMR. However, a few years ago I had my titers rechecked while working in healthcare and they were low. I had to be revaccinated which wreaked havoc on my body. Apparently I do not mount an adequate response to viral vaccinations.
My father and uncle both had measles as children. My father apparently had it twice but it’s hard to say because fifth disease and roseola look similar. He also got chickenpox in his 30s and I at the ripe age of just 1.
Lupus definitely hinders our T-cells from signaling properly to mount an immune response. It’s like there is a breach in our human security system particularly when it comes to viruses.
Thanks for your reply. I guess it's a possibility that measles could be a contributor in some cases. I was just interested to see if many people on here had had the measles.
I have never had measles, but my mum did not vaccinate us against whopping cough and we all got it very badly. I was born in the 70s and there was a vaccination scare about the whooping cough vaccine, so my mum didn't get us done.
My sister nearly died. She was just a baby. She stopped breathing one night and my parents had to call an ambulance, we didn't have a phone in the house at the time, so remember my Dad running to the phone box. I can still see my mum trying to revive my baby sister in our bathroom. She was blue from top to toe.
Luckily, they got her breathing on the way to the hospital.
My mum got a telling off from the doctors and told her how lucky she was my sister survived.
My sister has EDS (some autoimmune symptoms like mine and some different) and probably POTS and I have lupus, sjogrens and possibly psoriatic arthritis too now.
I know there is a link with Epstein Barr virus but I wonder if other virus' are a trigger too, especially when you have a bad dose of it at a young age?
Very interesting - didn't know lupus was linked to Epstein Barr Virus. I had Glandular Fever (infection with the Epstein Barr virus) in 2004 when I was 9-10 years old.
I was diagnosed with lupus in early 2017 and have asked every doctor since what causes it. They say it's a combination of things + a bit of bad luck, haha. Who knows, maybe my glandular fever from when I was a kid was one of the first building blocks!
Hi. Not measles but apoarently I had chicken pox twice, at 22 and at 35 years old. ... but I was vaccinated as a child. I have Lupus SLE now.
My mom told me that I had something similar to polio or a very very mild case of it, but I was too young to remember.
I guess the autoimmune response to virus is messed up ... maybe it has to do with a wrong expression of antibodies but like chicken and egg I wouldn't know which problem came first, Lupus or a "weak" autoimmune response.
I have had measles, someth8ng called Scarletina and scarlet fever. When I was in hospital years ago (1994) they said then that there was a link between these and auto immune. I had erthymitis nodosum and apparently this was in the same house. Measles affect very specific areas.
Just remember measles as I missed the silver jubilee street party was gutted.
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