Sex Disparity in Response to Hepatitis B Vaccine Related to the Age of Vaccination.

Andrea Trevisan,Simona Anticoli,Salvatore Zaffina,Maria Luisa Scapellato,Rita Carsetti,Rita Brugaletta,Nicoletta Vonesch,Alessandro Giuliani,Anna Ruggieri,Paola Tomao

doi:10.3390/ijerph17010327

Abstract

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is one of the major infectious hazards for health-care workers (HCWs) because of the frequency of percutaneous exposures to blood or body fluids. For this reason, all HCWs should be vaccinated, including students in medicine and health professional degree programs. The aim of this study was to assess the immune coverage to anti-HBV vaccine and long-lasting protective titres of anti-HBs antibodies in female and male students to evaluate gender-related differences in response to HBV vaccination. Data relative to anti-HBs antibody titre, sex, age, and age at vaccination were collected and analyzed from 5291 Italian students (1812 males and 3479 females) of the graduate courses at the School of Medicine, who underwent the mandatory health surveillance of workers exposed to biological risk. The results indicated that gender affects the immune response to HBV vaccine, particularly evident in the case of females vaccinated after one year of age who exhibited a statistically significant (p = 0.0023) 1.21-fold increase in median antibody titre with respect to males. Our findings could contribute to the optimization of HBV vaccination schedules in health surveillance of HCWs.

Highlights

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a worldwide health problem
1980 and have adhered to the mandatory HBV vaccination according to the law 165/1991 with the recommended vaccination schedule; (2) be vaccinated at three months of age or later according to vaccination schedule, i.e., three doses according to the law 165/1991 and circular 20/91 only, without booster after primary cycle; (3) having an antibody titre after primary vaccination cycle ≥10 IU/L; and (4) have a vaccination certificate released by the Public
The entity and statistical significance of the modulation exerted by gender, age, and age at first dose on the antibodies titre (AbT) in response to HBV vaccination was assessed by both continuous (General Linear Model Analysis of Variance) and discrete (Chi-square) approaches

Summary

Introduction

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection is a worldwide health problem. The implementation of vaccination programs in several countries resulted in a decreased incidence of HBV infection. In Italy, the routine HBV vaccination program has been established since 1991, including both compulsory universal vaccination of all newborns in the first year of life and 12-year-old adolescents. This vaccination plan resulted, after almost 20 years, in a marked reduction of acute HBV incidence and disease burden, achieving the status of a low endemicity country [2]. Public Health 2020, 17, 327; doi:10.3390/ijerph17010327 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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