Original scientific paper
Evaluation of tetanus protection among middle and older age examinees by tetanus antibody measuring
Suzana Bukovski-Simonoski
; Klinika za infektivne bolesti "Dr.Fran Mihaljević"
Tatjana Jeren
; Klinika za infektivne bolesti "Dr.Fran Mihaljević"
Bruno Baršić
; Klinika za infektivne bolesti "Dr.Fran Mihaljević"
Branko Vitale
; Institut "Ruđer Bošković"
Ivan Beus
; Klinika za infektivne bolesti "Dr.Fran Mihaljević"
Abstract
In our study we measured the level of tetanus antibody titer in 437 sera of middle-aged and elderly urban and rural population of Koprivnica-Kri`evci county. The examinees were 45 – 95 years old. Two thirds of examinees were women (66 %). The majority of our examinees (39.2 %) did not know if they were or when they were vaccinated against tetanus. The required minimum protective level of 0.01 IU/mL in the serum sample was not determined in 9,09% of examinees, in 11% of women and 5.3 % of men. In women aged 70 – 74 and 75 – 79 years of age, the required titer was not detected in 36.6 % i.e. in 26.7 % of examinees, respectively. In a significantly higher number of examinees, 30%, more in women (35 %) than in men (21%) the titer of 0,1 IU/mL, the so called alert titer, was not determined. The percentage of patients that did not have a required alert titer significantly increased in persons aged 70 years and older, ranging from 38.5 % to 66.7 % in women, i.e. from 37.5 % to 41.7 % in men. Despite median titer was few times higher than the set minimum protective level in all age groups as well as in all vaccine groups. Namely, it ranged from 0,27 IU/mL in the group of examinees of unknown vaccine status to 1,51 IU/mL in those vaccinated less than 10 years ago and from 0,06 IU/mL in persons aged 85 years and older up to 0,89 IU/mL in persons aged from 45 to 49 years. We noticed higher antibody titers in men than in women and supposed that the differences between women and men were in connection with male vaccination history in the army. Based on obtained results we concluded that the majority of our middle-aged and eldery examinees are satisfactory protected aginst tetanus in comparison with the same aged exeminees in other countries, especially taking in consideration that most of them were not included in obligatory vaccination program. Nevertheless 9,09 % of our exeminees remained unprotected in all age groups. Therefore we believe it is important to implement an organized protection against tetanus of middle-aged and eldery persons to prevent illness among this population.
Keywords
Tetanus; protection; antibody; middle and old age
Hrčak ID:
23799
URI
Publication date:
11.12.2007.
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