Objective: Hepatitis B virus (HBV) is a DNA virus with a broad clinical spectrum ranging from asymptomatic cases to severe liver disease. Patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) are often exposed to HBV. Although a vaccination programme is very important for prevention in this patient group, inadequate vaccine response leads to increased mortality and morbidity. In this study, we aimed to investigate the factors affecting hepatitis B vaccination in ESRD patients and to evaluate the relationship between vaccine response and mortality.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional and retrospective study. A total of 367 patients enrolled in the chronic haemodialysis programme in Balıkesir province between January 2015 and December 2020, whose anonymised data could be accessed from the patient files and the data processing centre, were included in the study. Patients were divided into groups according to vaccine response, as those who developed a vaccine response (anti-HBs ≥10 IU/mL) and those who did not (anti-HBs <10 IU/mL).

Results: Chronic hepatitis B seroprevalence was 4.08% and chronic hepatitis C seroprevalence was 2.17%. There were 284 patients in the vaccine response group and 60 patients in the non-response group. Serum albumin levels were statistically higher in the vaccine response group (p=0.046). Although mortality three years after initiation of chronic haemodialysis was higher in the group that did not develop a vaccine response, it was not statistically significant (p=0.653).

Conclusion: The low albumin levels in ESRD patients and the limited immune response to the hepatitis B vaccine highlight the importance of preventing the development of malnutrition.