title: C-reactive protein levels following hepatitis B vaccine in healthy newborns.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Evaluate the effect of Hepatitis B vaccine (HepB) on C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in healthy term infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  A prospective controlled study in an academic medical center serving an inner city community. Subjects were singleton, term and late pre-term infants delivered vaginally with normal physical examination and without risk factors for or signs of sepsis. CRP levels were measured in cord blood and at the time of newborn genetic screening. The early HepB group received HepB within a few hours after birth. The late HepB group had HepB delayed until after the repeat CRP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred and eighty-two infants were enrolled (94 early HepB, 88 late HepB) with similar demographic features in each group. Neither the mean cord CRP (early HepB, 0.24±0.23 vs late HepB, 0.30±0.68 mg l(-1), P=0.37) nor the median of the repeat CRP (early HepB, 2.6 (interquartile range, 1.18 to 7.03) vs late HepB, 1.7 (interquartile range, 0.73 to 5.8) mg l(-1), P=0.14) showed significant differences between the two groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  HepB does not affect CRP levels in healthy term infants.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: F
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0563-0437
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Dapaah-Siakwan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gunasekaran
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
authors.forename: D L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Schutzman
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D000328:Adult; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000097:blood*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018805:Sepsis / Q000097:blood; D047929:Term Birth / Q000097:blood*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines; D002097:C-Reactive Protein