Zantac Boosts Response in a Subset of Vaccines in CLL

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Eur J Haematol. 2007 May 28; [Epub ahead of print] Links

The effect of ranitidine on antibody responses to polysaccharide

vaccines in patients with B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.Van

der Velden AM, Van Velzen-Blad H, Claessen AM, Van der Griend R,

Oltmans R, Rijkers GT, Biesma DH.

Department of Haematology, VU Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The

Netherlands.

Objectives: To analyse the effects of ranitidine treatment on

vaccination induced antibody responses in patients with chronic

lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL).

Methods: Fifty CLL patients were vaccinated with tetanus conjugated

Hib vaccine and a 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine with

(n = 25) or without (n = 25) ranitidine treatment in a matched case--

control setting. Anti tetanus toxoid (TT), anti-Hib and anti-

pneumococcal antibody levels were determined before and after

vaccination. Additionally, cytokine levels were assessed in patients

treated with ranitidine.

Results: Vaccination-induced increases in anti-Hib and anti-TT

antibody levels were higher in the ranitidine group compared with

the control group. Anti-pneumococcal antibody responses were not

improved by administration of ranitidine. Higher levels of IL-18

were found in patients treated with ranitidine compared with healthy

controls. Levels of IL-6, IL-8, IL-18, RANTES, IP-10, sVCAM-1 and

sICAM-1 were within normal ranges and did not change during

ranitidine treatment.

Conclusion: Ranitidine treatment improves vaccination-induced T-cell

dependent antibody responses in patients with CLL but has no

beneficial effect on the response to vaccination with unconjugated

polysaccharide antigens.

PMID: 17532765 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]