title: Effects of Risk Factors on Anti-HBs Development in Hepatitis B Vaccinated and Nonvaccinated Populations.
abstract: Hepatitis B infection is still a major global health problem even though safe and effective vaccines have been available for more than 30 years. Although development of protective antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) is a common phenomenon after vaccination as well as natural infection, sometimes it does not appear even after complete vaccination. In the present study, whether the impairment of the development of anti-HBs in naturally infected and/or vaccinated populations is associated with immunomodulating risk factors (i.e., age, gender, smoking, and diabetes) and/or other risk factors (i.e., socioeconomic status, dental, and saloon exposure) was investigated through a cross-sectional study. Among 204 nonvaccinated patients, 132 (64.7%) tested positive for anti-HBc, indicating that they had been exposed to hepatitis B virus (HBV) at least once in their lifetime. Exposure to HBV (anti-HBc positive) was significantly higher among low-income people, dental exposed, and saloon users. Among anti-HBc positive patients, only 44 (33.3%) developed natural immunity with anti-HBs. Impairment in anti-HBs formation was found to be significantly high among cigarette smokers. However, no significant association of anti-HBs development was observed with age, gender, socioeconomic status, diabetes, dental exposure, and using saloon. Consistently, the frequency of developing protective anti-HBs (≥10 IU/L) among a vaccinated population was almost nine times less among smokers. These data suggest that anti-HBs development, either naturally or after vaccination, is significantly lower among smokers. It emphasizes the need to check the anti-HBs status in smokers after vaccination, and a booster vaccination should be administered if the anti-HBs antibody titer decreases below the protective level.
authors.affiliation: 1 Department of Microbiology, University of Dhaka , Dhaka, Bangladesh .
authors.forename: Modhusudon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shaha
authors.forename: Sheikh Ariful
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Hoque
authors.forename: Mohammad Firoz
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Ahmed
authors.forename: Sabita Rezwana
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Rahman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000276:immunology*; D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies / Q000097:blood*; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens / Q000276:immunology*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000276:immunology*; D006515:Hepatitis B virus / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007108:Immune Tolerance; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects*
chemical_list: D006510:Hepatitis B Antibodies; D006514:Hepatitis B Surface Antigens; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines