[Response to hepatitis B vaccine in alcoholics without clinically evident liver cirrhosis].
BACKGROUND
Alcoholics have higher prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection than non-alcoholics and such fact may influence in the development of liver cirrhosis and/or hepatocellular carcinoma.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the response to hepatitis B vaccine in alcoholics without liver cirrhosis.


METHODS
Twenty male alcoholics with mean age of 46.6 +/- 10.9 years were vaccinated; they ingested more than 80 g of ethanol/day for more than 10 years. As control group 40 male non-alcoholics with mean age of 37.8 +/- 9.7 years were also vaccinated. No serological evidence of contact with HBV, hepatitis C virus or human immunodeficiency virus was found among the subjects of both groups. The vaccine Euvax B (20 microg) was administered intramuscularly into the deltoid area at 0, 1 and 6 months. Serum anti-HBs were determined after one month of the last dose. Levels <10 mUI/mL were considered as non-response, between 10 and 99 mUI/mL as seroconversion, and > or = 100 mUI/mL as seroprotection.


RESULTS
No significant difference was found between alcoholics and controls, respectively, in the frequency of non-response (35.0% vs 32.5%), seroconversion (15.0% vs 15.0%) and seroprotection (50.0% vs 52.5%). Among responders, mean levels of anti-HBs in alcoholics (511 +/- 448 mUI/mL) were similar to the controls (696 +/- 410 mUI/mL). No negative interference on the response was associated with the body mass index, tabagism, being drinking or concurrent chronic pancreatitis without pancreatic insufficiency.


CONCLUSIONS
Male alcoholics without liver cirrhosis had similar frequency and serum levels of anti-HBs to the non-alcoholics in response to HBV vaccination.
Oliveira
Luiz Carlos Marques de
LC
Hospital de Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG. oliveiralcm@ufu.br
Silva
Taís Estevão da
TE
Alves
Márcio Henrique
MH
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000276:immunology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000032:analysis; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019444:Vaccines, DNA / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000276:immunology*
D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D019444:Vaccines, DNA