Background
: Korea is known to be endemic area of viral hepatitis B, and 5-6% of population are carriers. Immunization can reduce the spread of hepatitis B infection. Ho-wer, not all people respond to hepatitis B immunsation. 5-15% of primary vacciness fail to be immunized. After revaccination, only 37.5%-44% of the primary failures elicit antibody response. Recent studies have reported that it is effective to inject a double dose vaccina-tion in immunocompromsed patients. In some country, they recommend that neonate whode mother is HBV carrier shoud receive double dose vaccination. This study documented the results of double dose vaccintion only once to nonrsponders toward the HBV immunzation.

Methods : Healthy nonresponders to Hepatitis B immunization were recuited from Sep. 1995 to Aug. 1996. Subjects with their AST/ALT level over 40, or over 65 years old were excluded. They were received 2ml of plasma-derived vaccine(Hepavax-B) intramuscularly in the deltoid muscle. Anti-HBs antibody testing were performend at 1 to 3 months after vaccintion.

Results : 17 healthy nonreponders to Hepatitis B immunization(male 10, female 7) were included. Their mean ages were 47(32 to64). AST/ALT level 20/19(16 to 28/11 to 35), smoking 4.3pys(1 to 7). Seroconversion occured in 13 of them(76.5%).
Conlusions: Nonresponders to Hepatitis B vaccintion respond well to double dose vacci-nation once.