The Association of Systemic Inflammatory Response with Hepatitis B Vaccine Unresponsiveness

(1) Background: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains a major health challenge. Although vaccination protects people from HBV infection, 5-10% of people at risk of HBV infection and associated liver diseases do not respond to vaccination. The association of hematological indices with vaccine response is a crucial contributing factor in HBV-associated liver damage and the outcome of patients. In this context, we clinically assessed the interaction between inflammatory parameters and Hepatitis B vaccine response for the first time. (2) Methods: In total, 90 volunteers (44 non-responders and 46 responders) were included in this retrospective study. The demographic data and the hemogram parameters of the volunteers were recorded and statistically analyzed. Additionally, systemic inflammation index (SII), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) were calculated. (3) Results: Our results indicate that higher median levels of white blood cells (8.61), lymphocytes (2.37), neutrophils (5.71), and platelets (280) were determined in the non-responders compared to the responders. SII and NLR indices were significantly higher in the non-responders than in the responders (p < 0.05). (4) Conclusions: The non-responders exerted higher systemic inflammation indicators than the responders, and the NLR value partially distinguished Hepatitis B vaccine response. Nevertheless, further studies with larger cohorts are essential to confirm the clinical utility of systemic inflammatory response as a reliable criterion for predicting Hepatitis B vaccine responsiveness.