Anti-HDV seroprevalance among patients with previous HBV infection

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This prospective study aimed to determine the prevalence of anti-HDV seropositivity among subjects who hadprevious hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.METHODS: Subjects who were admitted to the gastroenterology inpatient clinic of our hospital between August 2016 andJuly 2017 were screened for previous HBV infection. The subjects who had HBV serology compatible with resolved HBVinfection were recruited in the study, and the seroprevalance of anti-HDV was studied. Participants answered a short questionnaireregarding their family history of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis D (CHD) infection and risk factorsfor transmission. Subjects who were anti-HDV positive were recalled for a control visit, and HBV-DNA and HDV-RNA wereassayed in the blood samples of the responders.RESULTS: Among 554 subjects who had previous HBV infection, 53 (9.6%) were anti-HDV positive. The mean age was63.1±15.4 years in the anti-HDV-positive group and 65.9±15.6 years in the anti-HDV-negative group (p=0.19). The mostcommon risk factor for both groups was dental procedures (89% vs 80%, p=0.33). Anti-Hbc IgG, anti-Hbs, and anti-HBeAgseropositivity did not differ between the anti-HDV-positive and -negative groups (for all, p>0.05). Although HDV-RNA was notdetectable in all studied samples, only one subject had detectable HBV-DNA in the anti-HDV-positive group.CONCLUSION: This study highlighted the prevalence of anti-HDV among subjects who had resolved HBV infection. Longtermfollow-up studies, including after the resolution of both infections, are needed to explore HBV–HDV interactions and thebehavioral patterns of these viruses.