0000000000384990
AUTHOR
Helena Hernandez-évole
Changing delta hepatitis patient profile: A single center experience in Valencia region, Spain
Background Delta hepatitis is a rare infection with an aggressive disease course. For almost three decades, however, there have been no epidemiological studies in our traditionally endemic area. Aim To investigate the prevalence of delta hepatitis in a sample of patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection followed at a Hepatology Unit in Valencia, Spain. Methods Retrospective evaluation of anti-hepatitis D virus-immunoglobulin G seroprevalence among patients with chronic HBV infection (n = 605) followed at a reference Hepatology Unit in Spain. Results The prevalence of anti-hepatitis D virus-immunoglobulin G among HBV-infected patients was 11.5%: Male (63%) and median age of 52 …
One‐quarter of chronic hepatitis D patients reach HDV‐RNA decline or undetectability during the natural course of the disease
BACKGROUND Spontaneous HDV-RNA fluctuations, assessed by nonstandardised in-house assays, have been reported during the course of chronic hepatitis delta (CHD). AIMS To evaluate changes in serum HDV-RNA concentrations in untreated CHD patients and correlate these changes with other HBV markers. METHODS A total of 323 consecutive serum samples from 56 CHD patients (detectable HDV-RNA) followed for >3 years were retested for HDV-RNA levels by a sensitive technique using the first WHO international HDV-RNA standard. Quantitative HBsAg, HBV-DNA, and HBV-RNA were also determined. RESULTS Most participants were male, middle-aged, white European, and HBeAg-negative (82%). Almost half had liver cir…