Hep A, Hep B immunities

[dshrfrshr]

So I've moved around and changed docs a couple times, and have heard different answers in regards to my immunities.  For the record I am 25yo male, been poz for 4 years now, and have been undetectable for 3+.  I clearly recall before going into 7th grade I had to receive the hep B immunizations, and got 3 rounds of shots.  Ffwd 10 years after I received my positive diagnosis, I was told I wasnt showing any resistance and would need a booster.  Got that.  I had a doctor a year or two later tell me that it appeared I contracted Hep B, but my body cleared it/built an immunity on its own.  Odd, but if I was healthy, I went along.  Multiple blood tests after all came back showing immunity levels, until my most recent, which showed no immunity to hep A or hep B, but thankfully both were still negative.  My question is whether my body is losing immunity to the virus over time for some reason, or whether these blood tests are producing false results? Anyone have any similar experiences?

[mecch]

  I clearly recall before going into 7th grade I had to receive the hep B immunizations, and got 3 rounds of shots.  Ffwd 10 years after I received my positive diagnosis, I was told I wasnt showing any resistance and would need a booster.  Got that.  I had a doctor a year or two later tell me that it appeared I contracted Hep B, but my body cleared it/built an immunity on its own.  Odd, but if I was healthy, I went along. 

I got the Hep B vaccine in NYC.  When I moved to switzerland I had a complete workup and my doc said "So I see you had Hep B" and it turns out I, like you, had got it post vaccine, and cleared it, so in fact have the vaccine anitbodies and the Hep B virus antibodies...   


But the last part of your story is ODD.  Now you have lost all immunity???  If I were you I would get further answers and get vaccines again if needed. 

[freaky_dream]

If if you are feeling any doubt then just get the vaccine again. I ended up getting hep b done again within the past two years because all kaiser has is a combo shot with dtap. I needed to get a dtap( i.e. tetanus) booster since the last one I had was in high school. My ID had no qualms about giving it to me.

[Matty the Damned]

There is only one question raised by this thread:

Is Mecch an idiot or a cretin?

Fortunately he's a savoury mixture of the two and you can safely ignore him. 

Hepatitis B vaccination loses it's efficacy over time and, in a healthy human, should be renewed with a booster shot every ten years. For HIV positive folks you can cut that in half.

Ask for a HBV General Mean Titre test. For immunity it needs to be above 10. Aim for 1000 and 100 should be a happy medium.

As for Hepatitis A, it's usually given along with HBV so take it whenever you can.

Avoid Mecch at all costs. He won't give you Hep B but prolonged exposure to him will make you stupid.

MtD

[Jeff G]

There is only one question raised by this thread:

Is Mecch an idiot or a cretin?

Fortunately he's a savoury mixture of the two and you can safely ignore him. 

Hepatitis B vaccination loses it's efficacy over time and, in a healthy human, should be renewed with a booster shot every ten years. For HIV positive folks you can cut that in half.

Ask for a HBV General Mean Titre test. For immunity it needs to be above 10. Aim for 1000 and 100 should be a happy medium.

As for Hepatitis A, it's usually given along with HBV so take it whenever you can.

Avoid Mecch at all costs. He won't give you Hep B but prolonged exposure to him will make you stupid.

MtD

Congrats Matty , you are the recipient of my first warning ! 

[dshrfrshr]

Thanks for the help, I have another appt in 3 months, probably will get the shot again.  I never knew the vaccine loses in efficacy over time, especially so rapidly. 

[oksikoko]

I don't mean to bring back the "questioning my doctor" meme, but I told two different doctors at the NYC Health Department (2 different occasions. I'm VIP!) and my HIV doctor that I had had the vaccine for A and B in 1999 before a trip to Russia. One of these occasions was to get my meningitis vaccination, so I even had that little yellow card in my cold, dead hands. Not one of these people suggested that I should have a booster, but I didn't ask. I was very clear on the year being 1999, and I think they know that it's now 2013, and that that's 14 years.

Why is it so hard to get consistent medical advice even on what should be a straightforward yes-or-no kind of thing from medical professionals? Some of you know I never saw doctors before HIV forced me. I mostly just pushed through whatever ailment I had and hoped it wasn't deadly. I'm starting to remember why.

So, according to even the most conservative estimate in this thread, I need a booster. Oy. I think we'll just leave this one up to the fates.

dshrfrshr - just do what your doctor says in 3 months and avoid hepatitis until then.

[Anqueetas]

HepA immunity will last for life, no matter you get it from a vaccine or through resolved infection.
HepB is a bit problematic for people with compromise immune system. There is no way to be sure how long the immunity will last for HIV+. The only thing you can do is you have to get Anti-HBs check annually to sees if the level is still protective (>10IU) if its get low or close to that you can get a booster. A double doses booster also very effective as well and might stimulate a longer protection.

There is no way for sure how long will immunity last, for normal people it could last 10-15 years or even longer.

[bmancanfly]

Congrats Matty , you are the recipient of my first warning !

I just won the pool !!!