PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Huang, Fu-Yuan
AU  - Lee, Ping-Ing
AU  - Lee, Chin-Yun
AU  - Huang, Li-Min
AU  - Chang, Luan-Yin
AU  - Liu, Su-Chin
TI  - Hepatitis B vaccination in preterm infants
AID  - 10.1136/fn.77.2.F135
DP  - 1997 Sep 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood - Fetal and Neonatal Edition
PG  - F135--F138
VI  - 77
IP  - 2
4099  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/77/2/F135.short
4100  - http://fn.bmj.com/content/77/2/F135.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed1997 Sep 01; 77
AB  - AIM To investigate the immunogenicity and safety of existing recommendations for hepatitis B vaccination in preterm infants. METHODS Recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (H-B-VAX II, 5 μg per dose) was given to 85 preterm infants divided into two groups, using two different schedules. Forty four group A infants with birthweights of < 2000 g received three doses at 1, 2, and 7 months of age. Forty one group B infants with birthweights of ⩾2000 g received three doses at 0, 1, and 6 months of age. RESULTS After vaccination, 42 infants from group A (95%) and 37 infants from group B (90%) developed protective levels of antibody. The final seropositive rate and the geometric mean concentration of hepatitis B surface antibody between the two groups were not significantly different. The immune response of preterm infants to hepatitis B vaccines was similar to that of term infants in a previous study. CONCLUSIONS Preterm infants can be given hepatitis B vaccines using one of the above two different schedules, at a cutoff birthweight of 2000 g.