title: Relationship of health-related variables to levels of anti-polyribosylribitol phosphate antibodies in adults.
abstract: To identify adults who may be at risk for Haemophilus influenzae type b disease by virtue of low levels of antibody against the H. influenzae b capsule and who may thus benefit from receiving H. influenzae b vaccine, we correlated serum anticapsular antibody levels of 388 adult patients with 26 health-related variables, including 3 personal characteristics, 10 laboratory values, 4 drug use categories, and 8 disease categories. Steroid use was consistently associated with low levels of anticapsular antibody; associations were also found between low antibody levels and both non-Caucasian race and increasing age. However, less than 4% of the antibody variability could be attributed to these factors, and they were not predictive of low antibody levels. Thus, although H. influenzae b infections are seen in adults with predisposing medical conditions, on the basis of the present findings, use of the H. influenzae b vaccine in adults cannot be recommended.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0244.
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: McDonnell
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Gilsdorf
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Kent
authors.forename: J N
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Sheagren
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial / Q000032:analysis*; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines / Q000276:immunology; D005260:Female; D006193:Haemophilus influenzae / Q000276:immunology*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011134:Polysaccharides / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D000907:Antibodies, Bacterial; D001428:Bacterial Vaccines; D011134:Polysaccharides; C008984:polyribitol phosphate