Seroprevalence of hepatitis D virus infection among hepatitis B virus-infected patients attending UPUMS, Saifai: A cross-sectional study.

Abstract

HDV is a defective RNA virus that requires HBV for the replication; therefore, HDV can only get transmitted to the people who also have HBV infection and lead severe liver disease. Globally, the geographical distribution of HDV infection among HBV-positive people is very heterogeneous. In India, limited data are available on prevalence of HDV among hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive patients. In our state, Uttar Pradesh, or region, there is lack of data on seroprevalence of HDV infection. The aim of our study was to determine the seroprevalence of HDV infection among HBsAg-positive cases. This hospital-based cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Microbiology. 87 HBsAg-positive samples were included in the study. HBsAg-positive samples were subjected to anti HDV IgM and IgG ELISA Kit by Elabscience^®. Demographic profiles and clinical parameters were taken from all the patients. The mean age of HBsAg-positive patients was 36.6 years (SD: 14.6), with a male: female ratio of 2:1. Out of 87 HBsAg-positive patients, serological evidence of delta virus infection was observed in 6 patients (6.8%); 4 (4.6%) patients were positive for anti HDV IgG antibodies, and 2 (2.3%) were positive for anti HDV IgM antibodies. This study provides evidence that seroprevalence of HDV coinfection in the case of Hepatitis B is low (6.8%) in the western part of Uttar Pradesh; understanding the seroprevalence of Hepatitis D helps public health authorities to allocate resources effectively and design target interventions.