Prediction of response to hepatitis B vaccine in health care workers: whose titers of antibody to hepatitis B surface antigen should be determined after a three-dose series, and what are the implications in terms of cost-effectiveness?

We identified the demographics of 385 health care workers (HCWs) to identify those whose chance of developing a protective response to a standard primary hepatitis B immunization series was so high that the need for testing for antibodies to hepatitis B surface antigen (anti-HBs) would be obviated following immunization. In addition, using sensitivity analysis, we analyzed the economic consequences of not determining anti-HBs titers for any individual after primary immunization and of using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)-recommended post-hepatitis B exposure prophylaxis for high-risk HCWs. Nonsmoking women < 50 years old with a weight-height index of < 42 had a 98.2 +/- 0.9% chance of developing a protective anti-HBs titer. Male nonsmokers < 50 years old with a weight-height index of < 29 had a 94.7 +/- 1.8% chance of a protective response. Economic analysis revealed that use of the CDC guidelines for post-hepatitis B exposure prophylaxis in male HCWs whose anti-HBs status is unknown is always more cost-effective than determining anti-HBs titers following primary immunization for those at high risk. In female HCWs, post-hepatitis B exposure prophylaxis is more cost-effective until hepatitis B exposure rats are approximately 50%. It is possible to predict who will have a high probability of developing a protective response to hepatitis B vaccine; for these people, determining postimmunization anti-HBs titers is unnecessary and not cost-effective.