Clinical Prevalence of Hepatitis D Virus Among Hepatitis B Patients in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Northern Iraq

Hepatitis D virus (HDV), which occurs as a co-infection with the hepatitis B virus (HBV), is a significant public health burden. Currently, there is a scarcity of data regarding this co-infection in the developing countries. This study aims to address the clinical prevalence of HDV among HBV-infected patients in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq. This prospective cross-sectional study, conducted from May to November 2022, screened HBV DNA-positive patients visiting Sulaimani Teaching Hospital in Sulaymaniyah governorate, Iraq, for anti-HDV antibodies and HDV RNA. The study included 150 confirmed HBV DNA-positive patients. Of these, 54.7% were male. The mean age of the patients was 49.1 +/- 10.1 (18-68). Serological assessment found that 23 (15.3%) of the patients had anti-HDV IgG antibodies, suggesting past or chronic HDV infection, while 16 (10.7%) tested positive for anti-HDV IgM, indicating recent/acute infection. Further molecular analysis confirmed HDV RNA in 15 (10%) of HBV patients, indicating real HDV prevalence. The prevalence of anti-HDV and HDV RNA did not significantly differ by age, gender, marital status, residency, medical, family or medical history (p > 0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrated a relatively high HDV prevalence among HBV patients in Sulaymaniyah Governorate, Iraq, at 10%, which stresses the need for better screening, health strategies and focused research to combat its impact.