Richard Greenslade v. HHS - Influenza, transverse myelitis (2024)

Richard Greenslade, a 66-year-old retiree, filed a petition alleging that the influenza vaccine he received on November 23, 2011, caused him to develop transverse myelitis (TM). He also alleged that the flu vaccine significantly aggravated a pre-existing TM he developed after receiving Zostavax and Prevnar vaccines on September 21, 2011.

Mr. Greenslade's medical history included chronic abdominal pain and a vitamin B12 deficiency.

Following the flu vaccination, he reported experiencing weakness, numbness, and pain in his extremities, leading to hospitalization and a diagnosis of TM. Extensive medical testing, including MRIs and CSF studies, was conducted, but a definitive cause for his condition remained unclear, with some findings suggesting autoimmune myelitis or degenerative disc disease.

Petitioner presented expert opinions from neurologists Carlo Tornatore, M.D., and Lawrence Steinman, M.D., who opined that the flu vaccine caused or aggravated his TM through mechanisms like molecular mimicry and epitope spreading, suggesting an autoimmune response triggered by the vaccine. Respondent presented expert opinions from neurologists Jeffrey Gelfand, M.D., and Thomas Forsthuber, M.D., who concluded that Mr.

Greenslade suffered from acute, idiopathic TM, and that the flu vaccine did not cause or aggravate his condition. The experts disagreed on the interpretation of medical records, MRI findings, and the plausibility of vaccine-induced causation or aggravation.

After a hearing and review of expert reports and medical literature, the Special Master concluded that petitioner failed to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that the flu vaccination caused or significantly aggravated his TM. Therefore, the petition was denied.