[Immunologic situation of hepatitis B in immigrants. Strategy for vaccination]

The aim of this study was to know the prevalence of the hepatitis B virus markers of infection in immigrants, to explain the demographic factors determinant for the convenience of hepatitis B immunization and to evaluate the usefulness of previous screening based on the prevalence of infection.

Transversal descriptive study including 1,226 immigrants. Age, sex, birth place, serologic virus markers and vaccine convenience were analyzed. A logit model for each sex, the vaccination probabilities, contrasts related with a reference category and the odds ratios (OR) were estimated.

73.25% of immigrants were men. The mean of age was 29.57 (SD = 9.31) in men and 29.98 (SD = 13.89) in women. Men were mostly born in South Asia (32%) and women were in sub-Saharian Africa (35%). The probability of hepatitis B immunization convenience in both sex were 29.1% in those born in sub-Saharian Africa, and higher than 91.5% in those from America. This probability was higher than 85.8% up to twenty years old, and higher than 55.7% in older than forty. All zones showed a percentage of patients with hepatitis B immunization convenience greater than sub-Saharian Africa (OR +/- 2.4).

Age and birth place explain the convenience of hepatitis B immunization. In the American immigrants it would result more efficient the massive immunization, while in the sub-Saharian population it would be better a previous screening because the prevalence of hepatitis B virus markers of infection is very high. Probability of hepatitis B immunization convenience decreases as age increases.