HEPATITIS VACCINATION AND ANTIBODY STATUS AMONG U.S. ADULTS WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE

Background It is difficult to predict when inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients will need to receive immunosuppressive therapy. The use of immunosuppressants increases the risks of opportunistic infection and re-activation of viral replication. Hepatitis A (HAV) and B (HBV) are still endemic in certain areas of the world, and the latter has the potential to induce fulminant hepatitis with hepatic failure in the immunocompromised. Thus, it is important to routinely screen IBD patients for hepatitis and recommend appropriate vaccinations for those who are seronegative for antibodies. Methods We performed a retrospective analysis with data from the National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHANES) from 2009 to 2010. We identified participants who reported whether they were told by a doctor or other health professional that they have IBD. We excluded those who did not provide pertinent information and those who did not know their vaccination status. For the purpose of statistical analysis, vaccination status was stratified as either complete or incomplete. Complete vaccination for HAV was defined as at least 2 doses, and that for HBV was defined as 3 doses. Incomplete vaccination was defined as the aggregate of inadequate doses, no doses, and refusal. Results HAV vaccination data was available in 48 IBD and 4303 non-IBD participants. Complete HAV vaccination was 14.6% among IBD patients, compared to 26.4% for non-IBD participants (odds ratio [OR] 0.47; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.21–1.06). There were 55 IBD and 4443 non-IBD participants with known anti-HAV antibody status, and seropositivity was similar for both groups (41.8% vs. 42.4%, p=0.93). HBV vaccination data was available in 50 IBD and 4349 non-IBD participants. Complete HBV vaccination was 26.0% among IBD participants, compared to 34.4% among non-IBD participants (OR 0.67; 95% CI, 0.35–1.26). The presence of anti-HBV surface antibody was reported in 58 IBD and 4666 non-IBD participants, and seropositivity in the IBD group was less than the non-IBD group (17.2% vs. 23.5%, p=0.26). Conclusion Patients with IBD have lower rates of hepatitis vaccination and lower seropositivity for hepatitis antibodies. The current American College of Gastroenterology guidelines recommend the assessment and completion of HBV vaccination schedule prior to initiating biologic therapy. The European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation is stricter on the timing of these preemptive measures and recommends doing so at the time of IBD diagnosis. A small number of studies have suggested that seroconversion following vaccination may be reduced in IBD patients, but even so, the vaccination rates need to be improved greatly. To do so, gastroenterologists and primary care physicians should systematically educate IBD patients on the importance of hepatitis vaccination and recommend routine testing for seronegative patients.

Declining trends in Hepatitis A seroprevalence over the past two decades, 1998–2017, in Pune, Western India

Reduction in seroprevalence of Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is known to be associated with improvements in socioeconomic conditions of the community. National Institute of Virology, Pune has been studying seroprevalence of hepatitis viruses in Pune region over the past four decades. In total, 1438 samples were collected from urban general (UGEN), urban lower socioeconomic stratum (ULSES) and rural (RURAL) populations of the Pune district. Based on estimates in previous studies, subjects were enrolled from age groups ‘6–10’, ‘15–25’ and ‘40 + ’ years. HAV seroprevalence in younger population showed a significant decline. A significant decline in HAV seroprevalence in ‘15–25’ years age group in UGEN (from 85.9% to 73.9%; OR = 0.46, 95% CI: 0.25–0.86) and RURAL (from 98.6% to 91.4%; OR = 0.15, 95% CI: 0.05–0.45) populations suggested that the trend probably started more than a decade ago. Seroprevalence of HAV among ULSES ‘6–10’ children was found to be significantly higher (70.4%) than that among the RURAL children (44.2%; OR = 3.0, 95%CI: 1.7–5.2) and UGEN children (40.4%; OR = 3.5, 95%CI: 1.8–6.7). In view of increasing rates of urbanisation in India, ULSES population needs special consideration while designing future studies and viral hepatitis vaccination/elimination strategies. Our findings call for robust population-based studies that consider heterogeneity within populations and dynamics of socio-economic parameters in various regions of a country.