Dennis Pickens v. HHS - MMR, subacute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (SIDP) (2021)

Dennis Pickens, a 64-year-old adult, received an MMR vaccination on February 9, 2015. He alleged that this vaccine caused him to develop subacute inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (SIDP).

Mr. Pickens first experienced mild numbness in his hips and buttocks on April 7, 2015, approximately 57 days after vaccination, which later progressed to weakness and pain in his lower extremities.

He sought medical attention, and various diagnoses were considered, including Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP), but SIDP was not definitively diagnosed by any treating physician. The court considered the opinions of Mr.

Pickens's expert, Dr. Robert Friedman, and the Secretary's expert, Dr.

Peter Donofrio. The court found that Mr.

Pickens failed to meet his burden of proof on multiple elements. Specifically, the court determined that Mr.

Pickens did not meet the diagnostic criteria for SIDP, as his symptoms progressed beyond the 4-8 week window for nadir and he appeared to have relapsed, which is inconsistent with SIDP. Furthermore, the court found that Mr.

Pickens did not present a persuasive medical theory, such as molecular mimicry, to causally link the MMR vaccine to SIDP, noting a lack of scientific evidence and conflicting epidemiological studies. The court also questioned the timing of the onset, finding that 57 days was likely outside the acceptable timeframe for inferring causation from an MMR vaccine.

Finally, the court concluded that Mr. Pickens did not establish a logical sequence of cause and effect.

Consequently, the court denied Mr. Pickens's petition for compensation.