Is There Need for a New Hepatitis B Vaccine Schedule for Children with Celiac Disease?

Abstract

Background: Celiac disease (CD) is an autoimmune disease characterized by immune-mediated inflammatory damage of the small intestinal mucosa, precipitated by the ingestion of gluten-containing foods. Since human leucocyte antigen DQ2 (HLA-DQ2) is a marker of nonresponsiveness to hepatits B virus (HBV) vaccine, CD may also be associated with this nonresponsiveness.