title: Hepatitis B vaccine response before and after transplantation in 55 extrahepatic biliary atresia children.
abstract: Fifty-five children with cholestatic cirrhosis due to extrahepatic biliary atresia received a course of hepatitis B vaccine. Forty-seven received a plasma-derived vaccine and eight a recombinant vaccine. Antibody determination was evaluated before and after liver transplantation in 30 patients. Twenty-five additional patients had antibody determination after transplantation only. Protection against hepatitis B was observed in 73.3% of the children evaluated prior to transplantation. One to 15 months after transplantation, 54.6% of all children studied showed protective levels of anti HBs. We conclude that hepatitis B vaccination is efficient in inducing immunity in the majority of children with cholestatic cirrhosis. Some patients will loose immunity under immunosuppression, but the protection rate remains higher than reported for patients vaccinated after transplantation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, Université Catholique de Louvain, Cliniques St. Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Sokal
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ulla
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Otte
mesh_terms: D001656:Biliary Atresia / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000276:immunology* / Q000601:surgery; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood; D006801:Humans; D007114:Immunization; D007223:Infant; D008105:Liver Cirrhosis, Biliary / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology / Q000601:surgery; D016031:Liver Transplantation / Q000276:immunology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D014761:Viral Hepatitis Vaccines