THE EFFECT OF ZINC SULFATE ON IMMUNOLOGIC RESPONSE TO RECOMBINANT HEPATITIS B VACCINE IN ELDERLY

摘要

Background: Hepatitis B is the major cause of chronic hepatitis and cirrhosis in Iran. Sanitation and immunization is one of the most effective measures for prevention of the disease which is now widely used in developing countries. However, the immune response to the vaccine varies by age.Objectives: To determine the effect of zinc sulfate on immune response to hepatitis-B vaccine in elderly. Patients and Methods: In a clinical trial on 140 subjects aged 3 40 years with a body mass index (BMI) Results: 52 of 102 people were female (51%). The two studied groups were comparable in terms of age, gender, and smoking habits. The mean antibody production in the intervention and control groups was 116.93 and 157.37 mIU/mL, respectively (p=0.22). No statistical differences were observed between the two groups in terms of proportion of people who were protected after vaccination (26.0% and 36.5% in people with and without zinc, respectively).Conclusions: This study revealed that zinc sulfate has no effect in level of immunity among elderly.