ACCELERATED SCHEDULE OF HEPATITIS-B VACCINATION IN PATIENTS WITH HEMOPHILIA

Citation
E. Santagostino et al., ACCELERATED SCHEDULE OF HEPATITIS-B VACCINATION IN PATIENTS WITH HEMOPHILIA, Journal of medical virology, 41(2), 1993, pp. 95-98
Citations number
17
Categorie Soggetti
Virology
Journal title
ISSN journal
01466615
Volume
41
Issue
2
Year of publication
1993
Pages
95 - 98
Database
ISI
SICI code
0146-6615(1993)41:2<95:ASOHVI>2.0.ZU;2-X
Abstract
Early development of immunity after hepatitis B vaccination is particu larly important for patients such as hemophiliacs, at high risk for ac quiring hepatitis B from potentially infectious plasma-derived concent rates. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether or not protec tive antibody titers could be achieved quickly and maintained in hemop hiliacs by an accelerated vaccination schedule. A yeast-recombinant he patitis B vaccine (Engerix B, SKF Ritt) was given subcutaneously in th e deltoid region and repeated 2 and 6 weeks later to 85 hemophiliacs n egative for hepatitis B virus (HBV) markers. After the first 22 patien ts had been enrolled, a modification of the schedule involving a fourt h booster dose 24 weeks after the first dose of vaccine was applied to the next 63 consecutive vaccinees. Fifty-three percent of vaccinees h ad antibody titers to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs greater-th an-or-equal-to 10 mIU/ml) by week 6, even though the mean titers of an ti-HBs were somewhat lower than those achieved historically in normal individuals. The protection rate had increased to 87% by week 10, one month after the third dose of vaccine, and to 93% by week 24. One year after starting vaccination, the rate for the vaccinees who did not re ceive the fourth booster dose was 71%, and 96% for those who did recei ve the fourth dose, with only 2 patients not responding despite the bo oster dose. It is concluded that even though the accelerated schedule of immunization produced rapidly high rates of protective antibody tit ers, a booster dose is required to obtain higher titers and provide mo re persistent immunity. (C) 1993 Wiley-Liss, Inc.