HBsAb titers of recipients before and after transplantation
Before transplantation, 87 patients were HBsAb seropositive, and 23 were HBsAb seronegative. Twenty-one of the 23 patients who were HBsAb seronegative before transplantation became HBsAb seropositive after transplantation; 7 of the 21 patients had nonimmunized donors, and 14 had immunized donors. Within the first 3 posttransplant months, there was a trend toward higher HBsAb levels. The median HBsAb titers before the transplant and at 1 month, 3 months and 6 months after the transplant were 123.4, 437.3, 405.4 and 108.8 IU/L, respectively, and there were significant differences in HBsAb levels before and after transplantation (P <0.05). A decrease in HBsAb titers started from 6 months after the transplant, and 10 patients had unmeasurable HBsAb levels. Finally, there were 55 (63.2%) patients with protective HBsAb titers before transplantation became HBsAb seronegative within one year after transplantation.