Poster Presentation The Joint Annual Scientific Meetings of the Endocrine Society of Australia and the Society for Reproductive Biology 2017

A previously well young woman who developed central diabetes insipidus after influenza vaccination (#257)

Thomas H Chesterman 1 , Jessica Stranks 1 , Peak Mann Mah 1
  1. Department of Endocrinology, Northern Adelaide Local Health Network, Elizabeth Vale, South Australia, Australia

Introduction

Vaccinations have rarely been associated with the development of autoimmune neurological disorders, including narcolepsy1, Gullain-Barré syndrome2 and multiple sclerosis.3 Central diabetes insipidus associated with haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis following influenza vaccination has also been reported4, as has a case following probable influenza A infection5.

Case

We describe a previously well 26 year old woman who developed sudden onset polyuria and polydipsia one week following her second annual influenza vaccination. She was alert and systemically well with no focal neurological deficits. Water deprivation test was consistent with central diabetes insipidus. Anterior pituitary hormone testing was within normal limits. MRI scan of her pituitary gland revealed borderline increased thickness of the superior pituitary infundibulum (3mm), which was stable on follow-up imaging. There was no family history of diabetes insipidus. No underlying cause has been identified.

Discussion

The close temporal relationship between the influenza vaccination and symptom onset raises the suspicion that the vaccination may have triggered diabetes insipidus. Proposed immunological mechanisms underlying inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system following vaccination include molecular mimicry and bystander activation.6

Conclusion

We believe this is the first case report of diabetes insipidus following influenza vaccination not associated with a systemic illness. This case also highlights the difficulty in delineating association from causation when illnesses arise following vaccination.

  1. Nohynek H, Jokinen J, Partinen M, Vaarala O, Kirjavainen T, Sundman J, Himanen SL, Hublin C, Julkunen I, Olsén P, Saarenpää-Heikkilä O. AS03 adjuvanted AH1N1 vaccine associated with an abrupt increase in the incidence of childhood narcolepsy in Finland. PloS one. 2012 Mar 28;7(3):e33536.
  2. Immunization Safety Review Committee. Immunization Safety Review: Influenza vaccines and neurological complications. National Academies Press; 2004 Feb 20.
  3. Vrethem M, Malmgren K, Lindh J. A patient with both narcolepsy and multiple sclerosis in association with Pandemrix vaccination. Journal of the neurological sciences. 2012 Oct 15;321(1):89-91.
  4. Pajvani U, Lipton M, Grajower M. Diabetes insipidus associated with hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis: First case report. Endocrine Practice. 2011 Jul 8;17(5):e118-22.
  5. Kobayashi T, Miwa T, Odawara M. A case of central diabetes insipidus following probable type A/H1N1 influenza infection. Endocrine journal. 2011;58(10):913-8.
  6. Nguyen XH, Saoudi A, Liblau RS. Vaccine-associated inflammatory diseases of the central nervous system: from signals to causation. Current opinion in neurology. 2016 Jun 1;29(3):362-71.