Major adverse reactions to yeast-derived hepatitis B vaccines - A review

Yeast derived recombinant DNA hepatitis B vaccines used became widely accepted since the early 1990s. Severe adverse events have been reported infrequently in adults and rarely in infants and children given hepatitis B vaccine in the ten years which have passed since the introduction of the vaccine. Some of the data were summarized in previous review articles. Our review of the literature revealed reports of serious adverse reactions which included immediate reactions (anaphylaxis and urticaria) as well as delayed reactions, including skin, rheumatic, vasculitic (including Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and glumerulonephritis), hematologic, ophthalmologic and neurologic reactions. These cases were summarized and a pathogenetic mechanism is offered.