Hepatitis D can be spread by contact with blood and other body fluids.
Coinfection with hepatitis D usually makes symptoms of hepatitis B worse.
Doctors diagnose chronic hepatitis D based on blood tests.
There is no specific treatment for acute hepatitis D, but chronic hepatitis D may be treated with interferon alfa.
(See also Overview of Hepatitis Overview of Hepatitis Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver. (See also Overview of Acute Viral Hepatitis and Overview of Chronic Hepatitis.) Hepatitis is common throughout the world. Hepatitis can be Acute (short-lived) read more , Overview of Acute Viral Hepatitis Overview of Acute Viral Hepatitis Acute viral hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, generally meaning inflammation caused by infection with one of the five hepatitis viruses. In most people, the inflammation begins suddenly... read more , Overview of Chronic Hepatitis Overview of Chronic Hepatitis Chronic hepatitis is inflammation of the liver that lasts at least 6 months. Common causes include hepatitis B and C viruses and certain drugs. Most people have no symptoms, but some have vague... read more , Hepatitis B, Acute Hepatitis B, Acute Acute hepatitis B is inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis B virus and that lasts from a few weeks up to 6 months. Hepatitis B is spread through contact with blood or other... read more , and Hepatitis B, Chronic Hepatitis B, Chronic Chronic hepatitis B is inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis B virus and that has lasted more than 6 months. Most people with chronic hepatitis B have no symptoms, but some... read more .)
Hepatitis D is relatively rare in the United States. It can be an acute infection, lasting only a short time, or a chronic infection, lasting more than 6 months.
Hepatitis D occurs only as a coinfection with acute hepatitis B Hepatitis B, Acute Acute hepatitis B is inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis B virus and that lasts from a few weeks up to 6 months. Hepatitis B is spread through contact with blood or other... read more or chronic hepatitis B Hepatitis B, Chronic Chronic hepatitis B is inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis B virus and that has lasted more than 6 months. Most people with chronic hepatitis B have no symptoms, but some... read more . The hepatitis D virus is an incomplete virus that requires the help of the hepatitis B virus to reproduce.
Worldwide, about 15 to 20 million people have chronic hepatitis B and hepatitis D coinfection.
Transmission of hepatitis D
Hepatitis D can be spread by contact with blood and other body fluids. Hepatitis D is most often spread when people share unsterilized needles to inject illicit drugs. It can also be spread through sexual activity.
Symptoms of Hepatitis D
Coinfection with hepatitis D usually makes the hepatitis B infection more severe.
Chronic coinfection with hepatitis B and D, if untreated, can cause severe scarring of the liver (cirrhosis Cirrhosis of the Liver Cirrhosis is the widespread distortion of the liver's internal structure that occurs when a large amount of normal liver tissue is permanently replaced with nonfunctioning scar tissue. The scar... read more 
).
Coinfection with hepatitis B and D can lead to fulminant hepatitis Symptoms (a very severe form of hepatitis). Fulminant hepatitis can progress very quickly. Toxic substances normally removed by the liver build up in the blood and reach the brain, causing hepatic (portosystemic) encephalopathy Hepatic Encephalopathy Hepatic encephalopathy is deterioration of brain function that occurs in people with severe liver disease because toxic substances normally removed by the liver build up in the blood and reach... read more . People may lapse into a coma within days to weeks. Fulminant hepatitis may be fatal, especially in adults.
Diagnosis of Hepatitis D
Blood tests
Doctors may suspect hepatitis D when
Chronic hepatitis B Hepatitis B, Chronic Chronic hepatitis B is inflammation of the liver that is caused by the hepatitis B virus and that has lasted more than 6 months. Most people with chronic hepatitis B have no symptoms, but some... read more suddenly becomes much worse (superinfection) in people who are chronically infected with hepatitis B.
Chronic hepatitis B progresses more rapidly than it typically does.
If hepatitis D is suspected, a blood test to detect antibodies produced by the person's immune system in response to the hepatitis virus D is done to confirm the diagnosis.
Prevention of Hepatitis D
Avoiding high-risk behavior (such as sharing needles to inject drugs and having multiple sex partners) helps prevent people from getting hepatitis B and thus from getting hepatitis D.
There is no vaccine for hepatitis D. But if people do not already have hepatitis B, they can be vaccinated with the hepatitis B vaccine Hepatitis B Vaccine The hepatitis B vaccine helps protect against hepatitis B and its complications ( chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis, and liver cancer). Generally, hepatitis B is more serious than hepatitis A and... read more , which can prevent hepatitis D as well as hepatitis B.
Treatment of Hepatitis D
General measures
Interferon alfa (an antiviral drug)
People with hepatitis D should not drink alcohol because it can damage the liver further. There is no need to avoid certain foods or limit activity.
There is no specific treatment for acute viral hepatitis D.
Chronic hepatitis D may be treated with interferon alfa, usually for 1 year.
If fulminant hepatitis develops, liver transplantation Liver Transplantation Liver transplantation is the surgical removal of a healthy liver or sometimes a part of a liver from a living person and then its transfer into a person whose liver no longer functions. (See... read more is the most effective treatment and is the best hope of survival, particularly for adults.
