Hypothesis: Viral infections of pregnant women may be early triggers of childhood type 1 diabetes and other autoimmune disease

Abstract

Children and adolescents with early onset autoimmune diseases have a different seasonality of month of birth than the general population. This pattern is consistent with an infection during pregnancy affecting the fetus or an infection immediately after birth that act as early triggers of the autoimmune diseases. We present data supporting the use of Rotavirus vaccinations in the reduction of incidence of childhood T1D and propose further investigations into whether other anti-virus vaccinations may reduce the burden of other autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, atopic dermatitis, psoriasis and subtypes of rheumatoid arthritis, Hashimoto thyroiditis.

Keywords: Atopic dermatitis; Autoimmune disease; Childhood; Multiple sclerosis; Thyroiditis; Type 1 diabetes; Viruses.