Because of its dependence on the hepatitis B virus, hepatitis D diagnosis requires the presence of hepatitis surface antigen (HBsAg). It has the following diagnostic tests:
D antigen (HDAg): Your blood screening is not performed routinely, as the antigen circulates bound in complex with the antibody. Their detection is usually transient during acute infection.
RNA: The detection can be performed by hybridization (detection limit from 104 to 106 copies/mL) or PCR (detection limit 10 copies/mL).
Antibodies: the standard in the diagnosis of infection with hepatitis D are total antibodies (IgM + IgG). Appear late in acute infection and are present in high titers during chronic infection. In the acute infection resolved, the titles tend to decrease over time. IgM is maintained over time and its securities are correlated with replication and hepatic inflammatory activity. (more…)
Infection with hepatitis D always occurs in the presence of infection with hepatitis B virus. Usually the hepatitis D virus inhibits HBV replication, so that liver disease is caused by D virus in patients with chronic infection. It can be distinguished 3 clinical forms of infection:
It is estimated that approximately 5% of people chronically infected with hepatitis B virus are also infected with D, which represents about 15 million infected worldwide. The infection is not always directly related to the prevalence of infection with hepatitis B virus