Evaluation of methods of pre-vaccination screening for markers of hepatitis B infection

✍ Scribed by G. Papaevangelou; A. Roumeliotou-Karayannis; N. Tassopoulos; S. C. Richardson; P. Stathopoulou; N. Papadoyannakis; N. Tsantoulis; K. Politi; A. Tassiopoulou

• Publisher: Springer
• Year: 1985
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 334 KB
• Volume: 1
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0393-2990
• DOI: 10.1007/bf00141800

✦ Synopsis

The prevalence of serologic evidence of hepatitis B virus infection in various populations in Greece was examined to provide data for formulating cost-effective strategies for prevaccination screening. Markers were detected in 17.5% of 320 healthy persons, 73.3% of 273 multiply transfused patients and 61.0% of 146 haemodialysis patients. In multiply transfused patients, antibody t.o hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) was significantly more common than antibody to core antigen (.anti-HBc) (67.0%, 44.3%), while the .opposite was true for haemodialysis patients (43.8%, 57.5%). These data suggest t,hat it may be most cost-effective to screen only for anti-HBs in multiply transfused patients and only anti-HBc in baemo~ dialysis patients. Vaccination without screening may be more cost-effective for healthy persons. Anti-HBs and anti-HBc ~vere detected with similar frequencies (.14.7%, 15.9%), thus neither .offers an advantage in screening healthy persons, although use of anti*HBc may facilitate detection of chronic carriers. These data indicate that the choice of marker for pre-vaccination screening should depend on ,the population under cons,ideration.