Even with Vaccination, Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Are Still Vulnerable to Hepatitis B#Baof

Even with Vaccination, Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Are Still Vulnerable to Hepatitis B Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) could still be at risk for hepatitis B infection despite vaccination. That was the conclusion of a study in which a majority of RA patients tested were not protected by the hepatitis B vaccination, according to a press release from the European League Against Rheumatism. RA Patients and Hepatitis B: By the Numbers In the study 47 patients with RA were vaccinated in an attempt to protect them against hepatitis B liver infection. In a statement to the press the researcher said: Based on this study, hepatitis B vaccination is less effective in RA patients using biologicals and/or DMARDs than in the general population. What Does This Mean for Patients with RA? This could be alarming news for patients who live with RA. One of these RA patients, Kathleen Cooper of Tacoma, Washington, said, I wont even bother with the hepatitis B vaccine after reading about this.