[The prevalence of the surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus (HBsAg) in pregnant women in Alicante].

To assess the prevalence of the hepatitis B virus carrier status in pregnant women from the population of Alicante and to evaluate the need of screening studies in future programs of attention to pregnant women, 550 women at the final stage of their pregnancies who were admitted to the Alicante Hospital were evaluated with a questionnaire and the determination of specific markers. Our results disclose a lower prevalence (0.54%) than other studies; it was always associated with risk groups and indicators of high infectiousness were absent. Therefore, before other results are available, screening for the carrier state in all pregnant women does not appear justified except in risk groups. These results are limited to the city of Alicante, where most women attend the Hospital at the final stage of their pregnancies.