Reflex Testing for Hepatitis D Infection: A Unique Opportunity to Reduce Hepatitis D-Related Chronic Liver Disease Deaths in Australia.
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41936569.
- Also identified by DOI 10.5694/mja2.70170 and PMC identifier 13050674.
- Licence recorded as CC BY.
- The licence permits redistribution, so the abstract is shown in full and the full text is available from the publisher.
Abstract
Chronic hepatitis D virus (HDV) infection always occurs as a coinfection with hepatitis B virus (HBV) and is the most severe form of viral hepatitis, associated with a high risk of cirrhosis, liver cancer and death. Effective treatment is now available for HDV-HBV coinfection and HDV screening is recommended for all people living with HBV, yet most people in Australia with HDV-HBV are diagnosed too late to prevent complications. This article calls for an urgent change in HDV testing policy and funding to implement reflex HDV antibody (anti-HDV) testing for all people diagnosed with HBV infection, thus enabling timely diagnosis of HDV-HBV coinfection and rapid access to life-saving treatment.
Medical subject headings
- Hepatitis D, Chronic
- Hepatitis B, Chronic