Hep B Immunity Question

Living With Hep B Hep B Transmission and Prevention
1

Hello,

I am in the U.S. (California) and I think I was vaccinated with Recombivax at Kaiser.

I was vaccinated in 2001 during my childhood at 11 years old (currently 34 years old). In 2013, I had a positive HBSAB result which confirms I responded to the vaccine and had protective levels of antibodies at that point in time. I may have had some exposures to Hep B through unknown status of partners between 2018 and 2021.

  1. What is the likelihood of having caught hep b from one of them if they were hep b positive (sexually or otherwise; one had eczema on their hands/body)?

  2. Should I still be immune now almost 23 years after my original 3-dose series?

  3. Have you ever seen/heard of a case of a vaccine responder catching chronic Hep B?

@ThomasTu @john.tavis

Thank you for your help.

2

Hi @EC11189,
Welcome to the community. The chances of someone vaccinated with strong antibodies getting infected is less likely despite exposures. As long as the person remains protected by a strong level of antibodies, they should have protection against HBV. You can get an antibody titer test done to measure your antibodies to see what level it is currently. Lastly, I have not heard of a reported case of someone vaccinated with strong antibodies getting infected with HBV. It could happen if the person is immune compromised or has a suppressed immune system due HIV infection, cancer, certain medications, chemotherapy and radiation and they are exposed. I don’t think this applies to you here. I hope this is helpful. Best, Bansah1

Note: Here is an article that might be helpful:Di Lello FA, MartĂ­nez AP, Flichman DM. Insights into induction of the immune response by the hepatitis B vaccine. World J Gastroenterol. 2022 Aug 21;28(31):4249-4262. doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i31.4249. PMID: 36159002; PMCID: PMC9453777 or

click on the link below.

doi: 10.3748/wjg.v28.i31.4249

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Thank you for the warm welcome and reply, @Bansah1.

@ThomasTu @john.tavis, I would love to hear back from you two as well if possible. At this point, I feel so intimidated to even test and am hoping I can build some confidence through your factual responses. I think I am most scared of notifying any partners if I test positive for Hep B or an Occult infection.

  1. Also, do you think bepirovirsen could heal occult?

  2. What are your thoughts/confidence on Thervacb being released possibly in 2028? Does Thervacb expect to target mutants as well?

4

Welcome to the group.

The others are more knowledgeable, but I wouldn’t worry too much about treatments until you actually get tested for it. Hep B is pretty rare in the USA, so unless you know for sure one of your partners was Hep B positive, statistically it’s unlikely they were.

I would just ask your doctor for the test and then you know for sure. If you were vaccinated previously you would most likely clear the virus entirely.

Cheers.

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Thank you, @Stargazer6138. I think I just keep spiraling the more and more I read. Now, I am worried about occult and mutants. I am a highly anxious person so it is a bit overwhelming for me to consider. I hate to complain in a online support forum with people who have actually been diagnosed and are so bravely managing their condition. Anyway, thank you for listening. This forum is filled with so many incredibly kind and good-hearted people, I wish only the best for everyone.

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Hi @EC11189,
I empathize with you. Please, if possible step away from Dr Google for sometime as what you read might get you more anxious. HBV occult and mutation are rare conditions as the data is limited. Think positive as @Stargazer6138 suggested, get your antibody titer tested and it will save you from some of the extra anxiety. A simple blood test can provide the answer rather than reading all this stuff on Google and messing your system up. You can do this, come on. You got this. Best, Bansah1.

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Thank you very much for your kind words and advice, @Bansah1. I plan on following your advice and getting my titer checked next month during my time off; I just need some time to restore my strength from the stress I’ve been feeling lately.

8

Hi @EC11189,

The likelihood of a chronic HBV infection after you have been vaccinated and raised anti-HBs antibodies are essentially negligible through these routes you mention. We have on the forum couples where one is HBV-positive and the other negative, who have successfully conceived (with the negative partner staying negative). This is due to the protective effect of vaccines that are generally considered as lifelong.

Hope this helps,
Thomas

9

Thank you, Thomas. That is helpful.

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Hi @Bansah1,

I have a question around what you said about hep b being possible to contract for those who were vaccinated but are immunocompromised. I may have been immunocompromised due to iron deficient anemia at that time having taken a look at my medical records today. Does your comment about vaccinnated people being more succeptable to hep b only apply to the scenarios you mentioned like hiv, cancer, chemo, etc? Or does it apply to all immunocompromised situations such as anemia? Sorry for all the questions, I just feel very sad/worried about this again :pensive: Thank you for your help.

11

Hi,
So they apply more to the scenarios I gave. If you have iron deficiency and you take iron you can rebound and build your immune system again. But that’s hard to do for the scenarios I mentioned. Chemotherapy can wreck havoc on one’s immune system for a long time.

To be honest I don’t think you have hepatitis B. Just check your titers. Thinking you have this or that is not good for your mental health. I bet if you did the test weeks ago you might have a clear picture of the situation and saved you the anxiety of worrying. Anyways, the ball is in your court lol. Best, Bansah1.

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Thank you, @Bansah1. I do struggle with my mental health due to medical trauma in the past. I will be checking my titers in Oct.

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Sorry to hear about your experience. But I do think having this test done will be helpful and also reduce the stress and anxiety of not knowing. It will drive me crazy.
Alright, best and hopefully it can clear things up more.

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Thank you, @Bansah1. I agree. Thank you for supporting me to get this first test. It means a lot to me.

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You are welcome. We are all here for you. Thanks

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16

Hi @Bansah1,

Last week, I was able to get my titer checked and it came out to 32.8 mIU/mL which shows I have immunity at the moment. This was great to hear given it means I do not have Hep B.

With the results, two questions came to mind:

  1. When would be a good time to request a booster shot? In a year perhaps?
  2. Does this result show that an antihbc total test most likely will be negative and that I have never had an acute infection?

Thank you for your help again.

17

Hi @EC11189,
Hey, that is wonderful news. I don’t think you need to worry about a booster soon. Maybe check one more time in 3-6 months. If the same results are confirmed then you are good to go. If it makes you feel better maybe check again at 5 years time. Titers can last many years.

Since you never had hepatitis B all you test should be normal. Hope this helps. Thanks, Bansah1

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Thank you, @Bansah1. I have appreciated all of your help and support…what you and the other moderators/scientists are doing in regards to advocacy, mental health support, and awareness is amazing and positively impacting so many. I look forward to the day the cure arrives which I think will be in our lifetime, take care.

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Awwww, thanks for your kind words. We try to make life a little easier for others. You are always welcome and let’s remain hopeful. Bansah1

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