Characteristics of Hepatitis B and D Co-infection: A Descriptive Study

About 5% of cases with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) are co-infected with hepatitis D virus (HDV), and this co-infection possesses a high risk for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis. We aimed to evaluate the epidemiological and histopathological characteristics and response to treatment in patients with HBV and HDV co-infection in a hepatitis clinic in Tehran, Iran. In this study, 80 patients were enrolled and evaluated for age, sex, degree of liver fibrosis, virologic status, and response rate. The incidence of coinfection of hepatitis B and D was 4.9% (80/1,631 HBV-infected cases) in our clinic. Thirty-seven (46.25%) patients had liver cirrhosis, and four (5%) patients had HCC. Besides, HDV Ribonucleic Acid (RNA) polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was positive for 31(38.75 %) patients. Among 30 patients, 14 (46.6%) completed interferon therapy (for equal to or more than 48 weeks) and had a response with undetectable HDV RNA PCR after treatment. According to our results, for cirrhotic patients in HBV/HDV co-infection that was about 46%, it seems that the early detection of HDV antibody (Ab) plays a significant role in the prevention of progressive liver failure, and treatment with interferon can help these patients by improving the prognosis.