Abstract
Patients on hemodialysis therapy are at a relatively high risk of exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. The prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is even higher and was reported as 33.2% in Taiwan. Although the efficacy of hepatitis B vaccine was well documented, the vaccination schedule in hemodialysis patients is not clearly defined. And under such a high prevalence of HCV infection, little is known about the influence of HCV imposing on HBV vaccination. We studied 50 chronic hemodialysis patients who were serologically negative for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), the antibody to the hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) and the antibody to the hepatitis B core antigen (anti-HBc); 26 of them were positive for the antibody to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) test. Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (Engerix-B) 40 μg per dose was administered by the intramuscular route at deltoid region at 0, 1, 2, 6 and 12 months respectively to all the patients. Forty-six patients had completed the study. The effective seroconversion rate (serum anti-HBs titer > 10 mIU ml -1) at 1 month after the final vaccine was 76.1% (35/46). The effective conversion rates of the anti-HCV (+) group to the anti-HCV(-) were 75% versus 77.3% (P=0.857). Geometric mean anti-HBs titers were 177.67 mIU ml -1 versus 189.28 mIU ml -1 (P = 0.867). Our results showed that five-dose injections of HBV vaccine do not present a superior outcome to the four-dose regimen comparing to published data. The status of positivity of anti-HCV do not pose an suboptimal effect on HBV vaccination of hemodialysis patients.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 1353-1357 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Vaccine |
Volume | 15 |
Issue number | 12-13 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Aug 1997 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Hemodialysis patients
- Hepatitis B vaccine
- Hepatitis C infection
- Immunogenicity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Immunology
- Microbiology
- Virology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
- veterinary(all)