Vol. 28 - Num. 111
Clinical Reviews
Transient hepatitis B surface antigen positivity following vaccination and the risk of overdiagnosis
Irene Antoñanzas Torresa, José Vicente Bernad Usoza, Irati Arregui Garcíab, Luis Alberto Pevidal Rodríguezc, M.ª Candelas Villaro Amilburuc, M.ª Llanos de la Torre Quiralted
aPediatra. CS Gonzalo de Berceo. Logroño. La Rioja. España
bMicrobióloga clínica. Departamento de Análisis Clínicos. Hospital San Pedro de Logroño. La Rioja. España.
cEnfermería. CS Gonzalo de Berceo. Logroño. La Rioja. España.
dPediatra. CS Labradores. Logroño. La Rioja. España.
Reference of this article: Antoñanzas Torres I, Bernad Usoz JV, Arregui García I, Pevidal Rodríguez LA, Villaro Amilburu MC, de la Torre Quiralte MLL. Transient hepatitis B surface antigen positivity following vaccination and the risk of overdiagnosis . Rev Pediatr Aten Primaria. 2026;28:341-4. https://doi.org/10.60147/1be9573b
Published in Internet: 23-09-2026 - Visits: 780
Abstract
We present two clinical cases of isolated hepatitis B surface antigen positivity in immigrant pediatric patients with no relevant medical history in the initial laboratory tests performed upon their arrival to Spain. The results normalized in follow-up tests. The working diagnosis was transient hepatitis B surface antigenemia secondary to recent administration of the hepatitis B vaccine. This phenomenon highlights the importance of considering the prior immunological context when interpreting diagnostic results in migrant children.
Keywords
● Health screening ● Hepatitis B ● Pediatric immigrant population ● Transient antigenemia ● Vaccination