Examining Immune Response of Hepatitis B Vaccines in Patients With HCV
Research presented at DDW 2024 found there was no significant association between immune response and hepatitis B vaccine types in patients with Hepatitis C.
A significant association between immune response and administration of a standard or multi-dose hepatitis B vaccine was not observed in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV), according to new research presented at Digestive Disease Week 2024, held May 18 to 21 in Washington, DC.1
Examining Immune Response of Hepatitis B Vaccines in Patients With HCV / guerrieroale - stock.adobe.com
Hepatitis B vaccines are the best way to prevent infection with hepatitis B and have resulted in a significant decrease in carrier rates, as well as morbidity and mortality associated with hepatitis B.2 However, the standard hepatitis B vaccine has been shown to be less effective in patients with chronic liver disease. Multidose hepatitis B vaccines could be beneficial for patients with HCV, but the data are varied.
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Investigators from the Gundersen health System in Wisconsin conducted a study to compare the response of patients with HCV who received the standard hepatitis B vaccine with those who received the multi-dose vaccine. Data for the study was gathered from the health system’s electronic health records. The study cohort included 30 patients between the ages of 20 and 90 years old with HCV positive antibodies who received a hepatitis B vaccine from 2008 through 2021.
Patients were excluded from the study if they had malignancy, HIV infection, hepatitis B infection, or were taking immunosuppressive medication. Of the patients, 37% were female and 93% were White. The average age at HCV diagnosis was 49 years and the average BMI was 28.3 kg/m2.
Investigators found that, of 26 patients who received a multidose hepatitis B vaccine, the antibody-positive rate was 46%, compared to 25% in 4 patients who received the standard vaccine. The antibody-positive rate in patients with cirrhosis without associated non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) was 29%. Additionally, patients with associated NAFLD had a higher rate at 50%, but the authors said it was not statistically significant.
“There was not a significant association between immune response and hepatitis B vaccine type (standard compared to multi-dose) administered among HCV patients,” the authors concluded. “These findings held true for patients with cirrhosis of the liver or associated with other etiologies of cirrhosis such as NAFLD. Our study is limited by its small sample size. Further studies are needed to determine whether standard-dose vaccines can be administered to all HCV patients, thereby obviating the need for the more costly multi-dose vaccine.”
Click here for more of our coverage from Digestive Disease Week 2024.
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