Anticuerpos anti-VHB y VHA en niños y adolescentes con VIH

Introduction: Patients coinfected with HIV and hepatitis B virus (HBV) have a higher risk of developing chronic HBV infection and a higher risk of hepatotoxicity. Hepatitis A virus (HAV) in HIV-infected patients may require antiretroviral treatment interruption, producing prolonged viremia. In this study, we assess the prevalence of protective antibodies in these patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the prevalence of IgG antibodies against HAV and antibody against HBs (anti-HBs) in a cohort of 121 HIV-infected children and adolescents (1–19 years), followed-up in 4 public hospitals in Madrid (Spain). Results: Among the total, 12.4% (95% CI: 7.1–19.6%) of children and adolescents had positive serology for HAV. Children of immigrant origin presented a higher percentage than children born in Spain: 50% vs. 6.2%, respectively (Po0.001). In addition, 16.5% (95% CI: 10.4–24.3) of the study population had protective antiHBs. A higher percentage of children with anti-HBs antibodies was seen in CDC clinical category A: 20% vs. 16% of those in clinical category B vs. 9.4% of those in clinical category C (P ¼ 0.19). The percentage of positive-positive children progressively decreased according to the years elapsed since HBV vaccination. Discussion: Most HIV-infected children and adolescents have no protective antibodies against natural infection by HBV and HAV. More studies are needed to define the best vaccination strategy to achieve a higher percentage of patients protected against these infections.