A long-term follow-up of hepatitis B vaccination in patients with congenital clotting disorders.
All patients with congenital clotting disorders attending our centre routinely receive hepatitis B vaccination. We have assessed retrospectively the vaccine responses in 167 such individuals, with a follow-up period of up to 7.5 years. The initial postvaccine anti-HBs response was lower in older patients (p = 0.001), those infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) (p = 0.05), and those who received intradermal rather than subcutaneous administration of vaccine (p = 0.08). It was estimated that the median time for anti-HBs levels to fall to 100 IU l-1 was between 36 and 42 months, with a shorter period for older or HIV-infected patients. Although the persistence of protective antibody levels can be predicted to some extent from the absolute levels of initial postvaccine anti-HBs, the wide variation in antibody decline between individuals precludes recommendation of the timing of vaccine booster doses solely based on this value.
Division of Communicable Diseases, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, London, UK.
D
D
Pillay
C
C
Pereira
C
C
Sabin
L
L
Powell
A J
AJ
Zuckerman
C A
CA
Lee
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001778:Blood Coagulation Disorders / Q000151:congenital* / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies
D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines