Hepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care
Authors: Winston E. Abara, Amir Qaseem, Sarah Schillie, Brian J. McMahon, Aaron M. Harris
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2018)

Letters19 June 2018Hepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to CareWinston E. Abara, MD, PhD, Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHA, Sarah Schillie, MD, MPH, MBA, Brian J. McMahon, MD, and Aaron M. Harris, MD, MPHWinston E. Abara, MD, PhDCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (W.E.A., S.S., A.M.H.)Search for more papers by this author, Amir Qaseem, MD, PhD, MHAAmerican College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (A.Q.)Search for more papers by this author, Sarah Schillie, MD, MPH, MBACenters for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (W.E.A., S.S., A.M.H.)Search for more papers by this author, Brian J. McMahon, MDAlaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Anchorage, Alaska (B.J.M.)Search for more papers by this author, and Aaron M. Harris, MD, MPHCenters for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (W.E.A., S.S., A.M.H.)Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/L18-0101 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail IN RESPONSE:We agree with Dr. Lowe that passive transfer of hepatitis B surface antibodies or hepatitis B core antibodies after immunoglobulin therapy can confound the interpretation of serologic tests for HBV and should be considered when the results of the screening tests for this condition are being interpreted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention thus recommends waiting 6 months after administration of this therapy before measuring hepatitis B surface antibody titers in persons who received postexposure prophylaxis (1). In general, immunoglobulin therapy is administered relatively rarely (2). However, it is more commonly used in patients requiring immunosuppressive therapy ...References1. Schillie S, Murphy TV, Sawyer M, Ly K, Hughes E, Jiles R, et al; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). CDC guidance for evaluating health-care personnel for hepatitis B virus protection and for administering postexposure management. MMWR Recomm Rep. 2013;62:1-19. [PMID: 24352112] MedlineGoogle Scholar2. Perez EA, Orange JS, Bonilla F, Chinen J, Chinn IK, Dorsey M, et al. Update on the use of Ig in human disease: a review of evidence. Work group report of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology. 2017. Accessed at www.jacionline.org/article/S0091-6749(16)31141-1/pdf on 27 December 2018. Google Scholar3. Abara WE, Qaseem A, Schillie S, McMahon BJ, Harris AM; High Value Care Task Force of the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Hepatitis B vaccination, screening, and linkage to care: best practice advice from the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Ann Intern Med. 2017;167:794-804. [PMID: 29159414]. doi:10.7326/M17-1106 LinkGoogle Scholar4. Sriphanlop P, Jandorf L, Kairouz C, Thelemaque L, Shankar H, Perumalswami P. Factors related to hepatitis B screening among Africans in New York City. Am J Health Behav. 2014;38:745-54. [PMID: 24933144] doi:10.5993/AJHB.38.5.12 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. Hutton DW, Tan D, So SK, Brandeau ML. Cost-effectiveness of screening and vaccinating Asian and Pacific Islander adults for hepatitis B. Ann Intern Med. 2007;147:460-9. [PMID: 17909207] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia (W.E.A., S.S., A.M.H.)American College of Physicians, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (A.Q.)Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Anchorage, Alaska (B.J.M.)Disclaimer: The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Disclosures: Disclosures can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M17-1106. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoHepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care: Best Practice Advice From the American College of Physicians and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Winston E. Abara , Amir Qaseem , Sarah Schillie , Brian J. McMahon , Aaron M. Harris , and Hepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care Jonathan D. Alpern , Thomas M. Leventhal , and Nathan C. Bahr Hepatitis B Vaccination, Screening, and Linkage to Care David M. Lowe Metrics Cited byPoor Adherence to Guidelines for Treatment of Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection at Primary Care and Referral Practices 19 June 2018Volume 168, Issue 12Page: 902-903KeywordsAntibodiesAntibody productionAntibody therapyDisclosureDrugsHepatitis BImmunosuppressivesInformation storage and retrievalPostexposure prophylaxis ePublished: 19 June 2018 Issue Published: 19 June 2018 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2018 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...