Evaluation of hepatitis B vaccine responsiveness in hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis patients.

ABSTRACT

Background: Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) infection is considered as a major cause of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Patients with End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) are a risk group for HBV infection. The vaccine of hepatitis B has been recommended for prevention of HBV infection in ESRD patient especially on renal replacement therapy. Methods: Eighty seven patients with ESRD on peritoneal dialysis and hemodialysis requiring primary hepatitis B vaccination were enrolled in the study. Each of them received 40 μg of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in a four-dose schedule. Antibody response was determined by the levels of antibodies to the hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) after last doses of the vaccination schedule. Results: We observed three response patterns to the immunizations in all patients after vaccination, the nonresponders (24.7%) never reached the minimum protective titer of 10 mIU/mL, the poor responders (18.5%) had titers between 10 and 100 mIU/mL, and the good responders (56.8%) had antibody titers above 100 mIU/mL. Despite a reduction in anti-HBs over time, the good responders did not become unprotected during the observation period, especially those participants who had titers above 1000 mIU/mL after the initial immunization. Conclusions: We concluded that the immune response of the HBV vaccine was reduced in the HD and PD patients, which need yearly re-evaluation of seroconversion with booster doses of HBV vaccination if needed.