title: Prevalence and clinical features of hepatitis delta virus infection in the Miyako Islands, Okinawa, Japan.
abstract: The aims of this study were twofold: (1) to determine the prevalence and clinical features of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection among subjects positive for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) living in the Miyako Islands, Okinawa Prefecture, Japan, and (2) to clarify the relationship between HDV-RNA level and severity of HDV-related liver disease. One hundred and ninety-nine HBsAg-positive subjects (123 asymptomatic carriers [ASCs], 3 patients with acute hepatitis [AH], 50 patients with chronic hepatitis [CH], 15 patients with liver cirrhosis [LC], and 8 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma [HCC], were tested for antibody to HDV (anti-HDV) by radioimmunoassay. Anti-HDV-positive individuals were examined to determine semi-quantified HDV-RNA level by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The overall prevalence of anti-HDV among the 199 subjects was 21.1%. The positivity rate tended to increase with age or the severity of the underlying liver disease: anti-HDV-positive rates were 10.6% (13/123) in ASCs, 32.0% (16/50) in patients with CH, 40.0% (6/15) in patients with LC, and 87.5% (7/8) in patients with HCC. None of the patients with AH were positive for anti-HDV. There was no correlation between semi-quantified serum HDV-RNA levels and the severity of chronic liver disease in patients positive for anti-HDV. The present study showed the local spread of HDV infection in the Miyako Islands, Okinawa, Japan. Although the anti-HDV positivity rate tended to increase with the severity of the underlying liver disease, the severity of HDV-related liver disease did not correlate with the semi-quantified serum HDV-RNA level.
authors.affiliation: First Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of the Ryukyus, Okinawa, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakasone
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sakugawa
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Shokita
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakayoshi
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawakami
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kinjo
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shinjo
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Adaniya
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizushima
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Taira
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001483:Base Sequence; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003698:Hepatitis Delta Virus / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D016133:Polymerase Chain Reaction; D015995:Prevalence; D012367:RNA, Viral / Q000032:analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012424:Rural Population; D012698:Serologic Tests / Q000379:methods; D017678:Sex Distribution
chemical_list: D012367:RNA, Viral