Immune Response to Standard Dose of Hepatitis B Vaccine in HIV Positive Clients of Kermanshah Behavioral Diseases Counseling Center

Background and aims: coinfection eventuality of hiv and hbv infection and having common transmission ways hasturned hepatitis b into a major health concern among hiv positive cases. the increasing number of hiv infectedpatients and their relevant problems, especially opportunistic infections, demands for hepatitis b vaccination. thisstudy, therefore was conducted to evaluate the immune response against hepatitis b vaccine and related factors amonghiv positive cases and probable approaches to improve its level.methods: in this cross -sectional study, 169 hiv positive cases who were kermanshah's behavioral disease counselingcenter's clients, with negative hbsag and hbcab ,were vaccinated against hepatitis b virus with a 20~g of recombinanthbsag at 0-1-6 month schedule in deltoid region. a month after the last shot, their hbsag titer was measured. titershigher than 10 iujml were considered as a suitable immune response. data included in this study were: age, gender,cd4 count, antiretroviral treatment history, hepatitis c coinfection and injecting drug abuse. then these data wereanalyzed through x2 test.results: among 169 under study cases, immune response was overally 52,7% and this rate was 51.90/ 0 for males and66.70/ 0 for females (p=0.313). immune response was 54.3 0/ 0 , 44.3%, 45.30/ 0 in cd4 count(greater than)500, 200-499, and(less than)200jmm3 respectively (p=0.039). in cases with and without antiretroviral treatment the immune response was81.8% and 50.6%, respectively (p=0.045%).conclusions: in this study the cd4 count and history of antiretroviral therapy correlation with immune response levelwas significant, but other factors like age, hcv co-infection, drug abusing, and gender were ineffective factors inimmune response to hbv vaccine. therefore, early vaccination among cases with higher cd4 count and cases underantiretroviral treatment seems necessary.