Elsevier

The Lancet

Volume 320, Issue 8305, 30 October 1982, Pages 945-947
The Lancet

INFLUENCE OF DELTA INFECTION ON SEVERITY OF HEPATITIS B

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(82)90156-8Get rights and content

Abstract

The prevalence of serum markers of primary delta infection was determined in 532 patients with acute benign hepatitis B seen in Italy, and in 111 patients with fulminant hepatitis B seen in Italy, France, and England. Patients with fulminant hepatitis had a significantly higher prevalence of delta markers (43/111, 39%) than did those with benign hepatitis (101/532, 19%). In 25 of the 43 patients with delta-positive fulminant hepatitis, serum markers indicated a primary hepatitis B infection while in the remaining 18, IgM antibody to hepatitis B core antigen was absent, indicating that hepatitis B preceded superinfection with the delta agent. The increased morbidity of HBsAg hepatitis with delta infection may result from the cumulative simultaneous exposure to hepatitis B virus and delta, or from superinfection of HBsAg carriers with delta.

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    Citation Excerpt :

    There are two major patterns of HBV/HDV infections: 1- acute hepatitis D caused by a simultaneous infection by both HBV and HDV (Negro, 2014) and 2- superinfection caused by HDV infection of an individual chronically mono-infected with HBV. In adults, while HDV/HBV co-infection is transient and usually self-limited (i.e. less than 5% progression to chronicity) (Smedile et al., 1983), superinfection of HBV chronically infected patients however causes a severe acute hepatitis that can be self-limited, but in most cases progresses to chronicity (up to 80%) (Negro, 2014; Smedile et al., 1982). HDV superinfection accelerates disease progression compared to HBV mono-infection, regardless of the patient's age.

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