title: [Premature infants and hepatitis B vaccination. Study Group Prevention Neonatal Hepatitis B].
abstract: Since 1986 health authorities in the Netherlands advise to vaccinate preterm infants at similar age as term infants, without correction for their shortened gestational age. This advice was based on a study, which showed comparable immune responses after DTP vaccination in preterm and term infants. To assess the immunogenicity of hepatitis B vaccination not corrected for gestational age in preterm infants, we compared the antiHBs titer after hepatitis B vaccination in 44 preterm infants with the antiHBs titer in 829 term infants. More than 95% of the preterm infants developed an adequate immune response (> 10 IU/l antiHBs), irrespective the vaccination scheme which varied in vaccine dose, the number of vaccinations and the onset of the first vaccination. The percentage preterm infants with an antiHBs titer > 10 IU/l (98%) was not different of the corresponding percentage of term infants (98%). Similarly, no difference between preterm and term infants was observed when an antiHBs value of 100 IU/l was considered a positive response, neither when active immunisation started at month 0 or month 3. The geometric mean titre at 12 months of age was considered.
authors.affiliation: Afd. Interne geneeskunde II, Academisch Ziekenhuis Rotterdam, Dijkzigt.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Del Canho
authors.forename: P M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Grosheide
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Gerards
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Heijtink
authors.forename: S W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Schalm
mesh_terms: D005865:Gestational Age; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000302:isolation & purification; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn / Q000276:immunology*; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines
vernacular_title: Prematuren en hepatitis B-vaccinatie. Werkgroep Preventie Neonatale Hepatitis B.