Long-term Immunity Against Hepatitis B Virus After Routine Immunization Among Adults Visiting Primary Care Centers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Mohammed A Alateeq,Modhi S Alshammari,Fadel H Al-Hababi,Abdulrahman M Alateeq,Essa E Alanazi,Latifa M Alenazi

doi:10.7759/cureus.21266

Mohammed A Alateeq, Modhi S Alshammari + Show 4 more

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https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.21266

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Journal: Cureus	Publication Date: Jan 15, 2022
Citations: 3	License type: cc-by

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ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the persistence of induced immunity against hepatitis B virus (HBV) among adults routinely vaccinated during their infancy and correlate the level of induced immunity with participant characteristics.MethodologyThis was a cross-sectional study conducted among visitors to primary care centers of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in Riyadh, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) during the period from August 2020 to January 2021. The study population included healthy adults of both genders who had received full doses of the HBV vaccine in infancy. Data related to participant characteristics were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A blood sample was then taken from each participant to measure the serum level of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), antibodies against HBsAg (anti-HBs), and antibodies against hepatitis B core antigen (ani-HBc).ResultsA total of 400 subjects participated in the study; the mean age of the cohort was 25 years. Almost all of them were Saudis (99.30%), and more than half (57.50%) were males. Only 24.30% had an anti-HBs antibodies level of ≥10 IU/L, and all respondents were negative for HBs antigen. No significant association between participant characteristics and anti-HBs antibody levels was found.ConclusionA decline in immunity many years after HBV vaccinations taken in infancy has been well-documented. However, for low-risk populations, the boosting of HBV vaccines is probably unnecessary since the immune memory provides sufficient protection despite low or undetectable anti-HBs antibodies.

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Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a DNA virus with a small, double-stranded structure and eight genotypes with variable geographic distribution for each type [1]
A total of 400 subjects participated in the study; the mean age of the cohort was 25 years
For low-risk populations, the boosting of HBV vaccines is probably unnecessary since the immune memory provides sufficient protection despite low or undetectable anti-HBs antibodies

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Introduction

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a DNA virus with a small, double-stranded structure and eight genotypes with variable geographic distribution for each type [1]. HBV infection is a major health issue worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 257 million people were estimated to have chronic HBV infection in 2015 worldwide [2]. HBV infections result in significant morbidity and mortality, which are mainly related to chronic liver diseases, such as liver cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) [1]. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is considered an endemic country for HBV infection in the Middle East, with an estimated prevalence of 1.3-2% [3,4]. The mandatory infant vaccination programs in the country have successfully reduced the prevalence of HBV infection from its high prevalence, which ranged between 5 and 10% 40 years ago [4]. The incidence of HBV infections is still considered high.

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