Investigating the Prevalence of Hepatitis Delta and Assessment of Treatment Response

Abstract

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate the seroprevalence of delta virus, assess the treatment outcomes of patients receiving treatment. Materials and Methods: The files of patients diagnosed with chronic hepatitis B followed up between 01.01.2015 and 31.12.2019 were examined. For the patients positive for delta antibody, demographic information, hepatitis delta virus (HDV)-RNA levels, treatment information and treatment outcomes were recorded from the files. Undetectable HDV-RNA levels after treatment was considered as total virologic response. Results: There was a delta antibody positivity in 2.9% (n=74) of the 2,548 patients positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg). The HDV-RNA tests of 60 patients found to be positive for delta antibody could be accessed. HDV-RNA was positive in 33.3% (n=20/60) of these patients, while 60% among the positive ones (n=12) received treatment. Among the patients who received treatment, 58.3% (n=7) were male, 41.7% (n=5) were female, and their median age was 53 (31-69) years. There was virologic response in 50% of the patients who received treatment, while no patient displayed HBsAg seroclearance. Conclusion: At similar rates to those in other studies conducted in Turkey, hepatitis delta seroprevalence, virologic response rate were found to be low.