The geometric mean measles antibody titer for the nine cases was 133 (95 per cent confidence limits of 126-141), for group A controls was 33 (95 per cent confidence limits of [28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] and for group B controls 17 (95 per cent confidence limits of 11-24). The differences in the geometric mean titers between cases and both control groups are statistically significant (p < .01 for cases vs group A controls and p < .001 for cases vs group B controls by the student's t test).
DiscussionAlthough the use of the jet injector gun has been associated with a slight increase in local reactions when used to administer diphtheria-tetanus toxoid,7 this problem has not been reported with measles vaccine. The adverse reactions seen were clinically identical to those described in the late 1960s by Scott and Buser3,4 and the statistically significant higher geometric mean antibody titer of the cases is similar to the findings of Fulginiti.8 The case-control study epidemiologically implicates the previously received killed vaccine.The mechanism of these reactions is not clear. One possible mechanism is an Arthus type phenomenon in a sensitized person, i.e., the prior killed-virus vaccine being the sensitizing factor and a later live-virus vaccine initiating the local tissue damage. Another possible mechanism is that following initial induction of cell mediated immunity by KMV, later challenge with live measles virus vaccine could initiate a delayed hypersensitivity reaction. A third mechanism is based on the finding that inactivated measles vaccine does not induce antibody to the F protein. Abstract: In a sample of 1,289 alcoholics from four clinical sites, the overall mortality rate after five to eight years of observation was 22.0 per cent, 3.1 times the expected rate. Patients from the medical and surgical services of a general hospital suffered 4.0 times the rate of expected mortality and died most often of medical causes associated with alcoholism. Patients of the public alcoholism ward had a mortality rate 3.3 times the expected rate and died of causes often associated with low social class. Private psychiatric patients had a mortality rate 2.3 times the expected rate, and psychiatric outpatients had an excess mortality ratio of 2.1. Sample site must be considered as a variable in the study of mortality among alcoholics.