title: Severe hepatitis due to HBV-HDV coinfection.
abstract: Quadruple hepatic infections are not uncommon in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infected patients. Hepatotropic viruses behave differently in immunocompromised patients resulting in varied clinical and serological outcomes. Delta hepatitis, an important cause of acute hepatitis in intravenous drug abusers (IVDAs) and HIV-infected patients, can present as coinfection or superinfection clinically, which influences the prognosis. Prevention of hepatitis D virus (HDV) coinfection is possible with hepatitis B virus (HBV) vaccination. No definitive medical treatment for HDV infection is known to be successful. Interestingly, liver transplantation carries a higher success rate in HDV/HBV infection then in HBV infection alone.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut, Primary Care Internal Medicine Program, Farmington, USA.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zar
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Sharar
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mughal
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: McClintock
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000150:complications; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000150:complications*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000150:complications; D003699:Hepatitis D / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans