Amy N. Heddens v. HHS - HPV, multiple sclerosis (2019)

Amy N. Heddens received her third dose of the HPV vaccine on December 3, 2012.

She alleged that this vaccination caused or significantly aggravated multiple sclerosis (MS). Prior to vaccination, on June 30, 2010, she had experienced symptoms including frequent urination, loss of balance, and blurry vision, which one expert opined could have been an initial manifestation of MS.

However, the physician's assistant who saw her at that time did not attribute significance to these symptoms. After vaccination, on January 18, 2013, Ms.

Heddens experienced double vision and dizziness, leading to an MRI that revealed multiple enhancing lesions in her brain. A neurologist diagnosed her with MS.

Both parties' experts agreed on the MS diagnosis, but differed on the timing of the initial manifestation. The court found that Ms.

Heddens likely had brain lesions before the vaccination, leading the case to be analyzed as a significant aggravation claim. To succeed, she had to prove that the HPV vaccine could cause an exacerbation of MS.

The court found she failed to meet this burden, relying on epidemiological studies that did not support a link between the HPV vaccine and MS, and finding that the proposed theory of molecular mimicry, supported by expert testimony and two articles, lacked sufficient empirical evidence to establish a probability of causation. The Special Master denied compensation, and this decision was affirmed on review by the Court of Federal Claims.