Hepatitis D

Hepatitis D

    * Introduction
    * Signs and symptoms
    * Diagnosis
    * Treatment
Hepatitis D or delta hepatitis infection is caused by a defective virus called the delta agent. It can cause infection only in people who have active hepatitis B or hepatitis B virus carriers
D virus is an RNA virus, which requires small hepatitis B virus to survive. Infection may affect all carriers of HBV is more common in intravenous drug users, healthcare staff, the hemophiliacs and transfusion. It has high prevalence in southern Europe, the Balkans and the Middle East. Incidence is decreasing due to vaccination against HBV.
Diagnosis of chronic hepatitis D varies depending on the type of relationship with HBV infection. Intro clinical coinfection of hepatitis B is usually self-limiting HDV infection. In clinical superinfection dress or appearance of fulminant hepatitis or reactivation of disease in a patient with known HBV stable until then. HDV superinfection is often a poor prognostic factor in accelerating the progression to cirrhosis.
Prevention is achieved by vaccination against HBV. Available antiviral treatment is unsatisfactory results. Interferon at doses higher than in HBV infection and lamivudine did not improve noticeably the disease.
Pathogenesis
HVD is an acute and chronic inflammatory process of the liver. They are three genotypes: genotype 1 has a wide distribution worldwide, genotype 2 was found in Taiwan, Japan and northern Asia, and genotype 3 is found in South America.
Delta virus infection alone can lead to liver-that is defective because it is a small and incomplete viral particle. To grow it needs to be covered by the hepatitis B virus envelope and be protected by it. Hepatitis D has an incubation of 3-7 sapatamini. In superinfection virus replicates faster and the incubation period is only three weeks.
Hepatitis D is transmitted through blood products, unprotected sexual contact and percutaneous. Blood is infectious in all phases of infection.
Coinfection are infected with virus B and D simultaneously resulting in a more severe form of acute hepatitis. Most of these patients will heal spontaneously both infections. People who have already been infected with the virus can infect B virus superinfection D which is a so will develop chronic hepatitis B. Chronic hepatitis D superimposed They are the most risk of developing liver cirrhosis fast. Coinfection is very difficult to treat.
Is fulminant hepatitis D virus in clinical condition tends to reproduce excessively favorable environment to be met with a large number of virus hepatitis B. These cases often remain chronic carriers of the virus, almost all having as superinfection next stage chronic hepatitis. Chronization is assumed when the virus remains in the blood over 6 months.
Causes:
-Parenteral transmission of virus through blood transfusions and blood plasma products Intravenous illicit drug-use -Use of needles and syringes in common Dental-surgery and with unsterilized instruments suitable -Unprotected sex with infected partner , Perinatal transmission is rare.
HVD infection is more commonly found among adults than children. In developing countries with endemic infection can be contracted for HVD by skin lesions.