Everything you need to know about hepatitis D

Everything you need to know about hepatitis D **Types of hepatitis disease** **Hepatitis is a common disease that is transmitted to a person by the hepatitis virus. Considering that the hepatitis virus has different forms, the mode of transmission and the type of hepatitis disease are different.** - **Hepatitis A: It is transmitted through direct contact with infected feces or indirect contamination of food or water with hepatitis A virus.** - **Hepatitis B: It spreads through exposure to body fluids including blood, urine and semen.** - **Hepatitis C: It is transmitted by exposure to blood or needles infected with the hepatitis C virus.** - **Hepatitis E: It is transmitted due to lack of access to proper public health and through indirect contamination of food or water with contaminated feces.** - **Unlike other forms, hepatitis D does not develop spontaneously in a person and can only infect people who have already been infected with hepatitis B, which we will continue to examine.** **What is hepatitis D?** **Hepatitis D is a liver disease caused by the hepatitis delta virus (hepatitis D). Hepatitis D is also known as a "satellite virus" or an "incomplete virus" because it can only infect people who are also infected with the hepatitis B virus.** ** This disease is also known as delta hepatitis. It is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis D virus. Hepatitis D is only seen in people who also have hepatitis B virus. This disease is spread when the blood or other body fluids of a person infected with the virus enter the body of an uninfected person.** **Hepatitis D disease may occur as a short-term infection or become a long-term chronic infection, and if not treated in time, it can cause severe symptoms and serious illness that will lead to lifelong damage to the liver and even death.** **Patients with hepatitis D may experience two forms of infection:** **Patients with hepatitis D disease may simultaneously have an acute infection (hepatitis B infection). Co-infection occurs when a person is infected with both hepatitis B and hepatitis D at the same time, which is usually less common than superinfection.** **Co-infections usually cause acute or short-term hepatitis D and B infections. Co-infection may cause severe acute hepatitis. In most cases, people are able to recover and fight acute hepatitis D and B infections, and the viruses disappear. However, in less than 5% of people with co-infection, both become chronic and do not go away.** ** There may be a new infection or "super infection" in the body of patients with hepatitis D disease. Superinfection occurs when a person previously infected with hepatitis B becomes infected with hepatitis D.** **When a person gets a super infection, he may have symptoms of severe acute hepatitis. Up to 90% of people with super infection are unable to fight the hepatitis D virus and develop chronic hepatitis D.** **Both forms of infection can cause a chronic and long-term illness in a person. The age of onset of hepatitis D may be at birth through mother-to-child transmission, although this is rare, or it may occur through the transmission of infection in adulthood.**

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### ** ways of transmission of hepatitis D** **The ways of transmission of hepatitis D, like hepatitis B, happen through the skin (through injections, tattoos, etc.) or through contact with infected blood or blood products. Transmission from the infected mother to the fetus may also happen, but this is rare.** **People who inject drugs and people with hepatitis C virus or AIDS infection are more likely to be at risk of developing this disease. Also, the risk of co-infection increases in people undergoing hemodialysis and through sexual relations and homosexual acts.** **Vaccination against hepatitis B virus prevents co-infection with hepatitis D, and therefore the expansion of hepatitis B immunization programs in childhood has led to a decrease in the incidence of hepatitis D.** ### **Hepatitis D diagnosis method** **To accurately diagnose hepatitis D, the doctor performs a blood test that can detect anti-hepatitis D antibodies in a person's blood. If antibodies are found, it means that the person is exposed to the hepatitis D virus.** **The doctor may also suggest a liver function test if liver damage is suspected. This test is a type of blood test that evaluates the health of a person's liver by measuring the level of proteins, liver enzymes and blood bilirubin. The results of the liver function test show whether the liver is healthy or damaged.** **Hepatitis D treatment method** **There is no known cure for acute or chronic hepatitis D. Unlike other forms of hepatitis, antiviral drugs do not seem to be very effective in treating hepatitis D. Doctors may treat chronic hepatitis D with drugs called interferon. Of course, researchers are still looking for new treatment methods to treat hepatitis D.** **People with hepatitis D may need simultaneous treatment of hepatitis B. In the treatment of hepatitis B, antiviral drugs and immune system-modulating drugs are used, which help the body's immune system to fight the virus.** **During hepatitis D treatment, the doctor may follow a special program that includes bed rest, drinking plenty of fluids, avoiding unnecessary medications, following a balanced diet to treat liver disease, and taking anti-nausea medications.** **If people with chronic hepatitis D experience certain complications, a specific treatment is followed based on the type of complication. For example, in severe cases of liver damage or liver failure, a liver transplant may be necessary.**

### **Treatment of hepatitis D complications** ** If chronic hepatitis D leads to cirrhosis, a person should see a doctor specializing in liver diseases. Doctors can treat cirrhosis-related health problems with drugs, surgery, and other medical procedures. Liver cirrhosis increases the risk of liver cancer. In this situation, the doctor may prescribe an ultrasound or another type of imaging to check for liver cancer.** **If acute hepatitis D leads to acute liver failure, or if chronic hepatitis D leads to liver failure or liver cancer, a person may need a liver transplant. If a person has cirrhosis or another type of liver damage, they may need a liver transplant. A liver transplant is a major surgery that involves removing the damaged liver and replacing it with a healthy liver from a donor.** ### **complications of acute hepatitis D** **In rare cases, acute hepatitis D can lead to acute liver failure, a condition in which the liver suddenly stops working. Although acute liver failure usually occurs, hepatitis D and B infections are more likely to lead to acute liver failure than hepatitis B infection alone.** ### **Complications of Chronic Hepatitis D** **Chronic hepatitis D may lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and liver cancer. People who have chronic hepatitis B and D suffer from these complications more than people who have chronic hepatitis B alone.** - **Cirrhosis** **Cirrhosis is a condition in which the liver slowly breaks down and cannot function normally. Scar tissue replaces healthy liver tissue and partially blocks blood flow through the liver. In the early stages of cirrhosis, the liver continues to function. As cirrhosis worsens, the liver begins to fail.** - **Liver failure** **Liver failure, also called end-stage liver disease, progresses over months or years. In the final stage of liver disease, the liver can no longer perform important functions or replace damaged cells.** - **Liver cancer** **Infection with chronic hepatitis B and chronic hepatitis D increases the risk of developing liver cancer NIH foreign transplant. Your doctor may recommend blood tests, external NIH ultrasound, or another type of imaging test to check for liver cancer. Diagnosing cancer in the early stages increases the chances of cancer treatment.**

### **Symptoms and symptoms of hepatitis D** **Hepatitis D infection may appear as an acute disease and resolve suddenly or it may become a long-term disease (chronic disease).** ** The signs and symptoms of acute hepatitis D infection usually appear 3-7 weeks after the initial infection and cannot be distinguished from the symptoms observed in other types of acute viral hepatitis infection. Some of these symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored stools, joint pain, and jaundice. These symptoms can lead to liver failure and death in some cases or can resolve and become a chronic infection.** **On the other hand, chronic hepatitis D infection accelerates disease progression in patients with chronic hepatitis B, which leads to earlier development of cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver damage compensation. A person with chronic hepatitis B who develops hepatitis D infection has a very low chance of clearing the virus spontaneously, and more than 80% of patients infected with hepatitis D develop chronic hepatitis D infection as superinfection.** **In acute hepatitis, co-infection with hepatitis B and D can lead to mild to severe hepatitis with signs and symptoms indistinguishable from other types of acute viral hepatitis infections. These symptoms usually appear 3 to 7 weeks after the initial infection and include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dark urine, light-colored stools, and jaundice (yellowing of the eyes).** ** In people who are infected with D super infection, the possibility of developing cirrhosis happens more quickly than in people who are only infected with hepatitis B. On the other hand, patients with cirrhosis caused by hepatitis D are at increased risk of liver cancer. However, the mechanism by which hepatitis D causes more severe hepatitis and faster progression of fibrosis than hepatitis B alone is unclear.**

### ** Ways to prevent hepatitis D** **The only known way to prevent hepatitis D is to prevent hepatitis B, and every person can reduce the risk of hepatitis B and thus hepatitis D by taking preventive measures such as getting vaccinated, avoiding contaminated syringes, having unhealthy sex, etc.** **The last word is...** **Hepatitis D is one of the types of hepatitis that occurs only in people who have hepatitis B or have previously been infected. Unfortunately, there is no definitive treatment or vaccine for this disease. Of course, some medicines are prescribed by specialist doctors, but the best way to prevent hepatitis D disease is to be vaccinated against hepatitis B and to avoid contaminated blood and unhealthy sex.** **You can contact us for more information and advice.** Stay in touch with us

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