An Investigation of the Immune Response to Hepatitis B Vaccination in Hemodialysis Patients at Dialysis Centers of Tehran (2016)

Hemodialysis (HD) patients are at an increased risk of acquiring the hepatitis B (HB) virus and having lower protective antibody levels as well as shorter durations of seroprotection. This study aims to determine the immune response of HB vaccination in HD patients referring to dialysis centers of the Tehran North Health Network.

This descriptive study was conducted among all HD patients who referred to dialysis centers of the Tehran North Health Network in 2016. A total of 304 HD patients were included in this study using the census sampling method. Data were collected using a checklist, and the HBsAb level was evaluated by the ELISA test. The collected data were analyzed using analytical tests, including a chi-square test and the independent t-test.

The mean±sd values of the serum level of HBsAb were 90.44±97.51 and 105.73±100 IU/L in men and women, respectively. There was no association between the rate of the response to the HB vaccine and gender (P=0.82), age (P=0.13), weight (P=0.09), vaccine injection frequency (P=0.45), number of dialysis sessions/week (P=0.36), and blood type (P=0.97). In addition, there was no association between the response to the HB vaccine and the history of T2DM, HTN, renal transplantation, and cigarette smoking among the participants (P>0.05).

One could conclude that the dialysis duration and the last injection of the HB vaccine would have a negative effect on the immune response rate among HD patients.