Hepatitis B vaccination. Response of alcoholics with and without liver injury

Alcoholics are at risk to develop hepatitis B infections, chronic active hepatitis, and even hepatoma. Hence, immunization with hepatitis B vaccine is recommended. However, immune abnormalities may coexist which alter their responsiveness to vaccination. This study compares the immune response to th...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Digestive diseases and sciences 1988-01, Vol.33 (3), p.263-269
Main Authors: Mendenhall, C, Roselle, G A, Lybecker, LA, Marshall, LE, Grossman, C J, Myre, SA, Weesner, R E, Morgan, D D
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
hepatitis B virus
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Summary:Alcoholics are at risk to develop hepatitis B infections, chronic active hepatitis, and even hepatoma. Hence, immunization with hepatitis B vaccine is recommended. However, immune abnormalities may coexist which alter their responsiveness to vaccination. This study compares the immune response to this vaccine in controls (group I), alcoholics without overt liver disease (group II), and alcoholics with clinical liver disease (group III). The observations suggest: (1) that the response to hepatitis B vaccine is a T-cell-dependent event; and (2) that in this population, using the existing vaccine, postvaccination evaluations of antibody concentrations are needed before protection against hepatitis B infection can be assumed.
ISSN:0163-2116