Study designs of evaluations included in the review
Eligible study designs were not specified, with the exception that non-controlled studies were eligible for inclusion.
Specific interventions included in the review
Studies of the HAV vaccine were eligible for inclusion. In the included studies, the vaccine given was mostly Havrix (720 ELISA units at 0, 1 and 6 months, or 1,440 ELISA units up to 12 months apart); one study evaluated VAQTA (dose not provided). In some of the studies the participants were also receiving HIV treatment.
Participants included in the review
Trials that evaluated HIV-infected patients were eligible for inclusion. Non HIV-positive immunocompromised participants were excluded. The studies included mostly or all men with a median age ranging from 21 to 42 years. However, one study included paediatric and adult patients.
Outcomes assessed in the review
The primary outcome was the rate of response to the HAV vaccine. Trials had to report the number or percentage of patients who responded to HAV treatment to be eligible for inclusion. The included studies evaluated the response rate from 4.5 up to 12 months after the first vaccination. Studies used a variety of definitions for response, including development of detectable antibody if absent at baseline, concentration of antibody at a protective level, or four-fold increase in antibody concentration if antibodies measurable at baseline.
How were decisions on the relevance of primary studies made?
The authors did not state how the papers were selected for the review, or how many reviewers performed the selection.