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Review
. 2025 Sep 6;14(9):899.
doi: 10.3390/pathogens14090899.

Hepatitis Delta Virus Infection: An Overview

Vitor Duque  1 , Diana Duque  2
Affiliations
Review

Hepatitis Delta Virus Infection: An Overview

Vitor Duque et al. Pathogens. .

Abstract

The burden of hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection is currently unknown and may affect 12 to 72 million people distributed across various hot spots in different regions of the globe. Screening for antibodies to HDV infection in patients positive for the hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) is generally available in most parts of the world, but systematic testing for HDV is needed. Chronic HDV infection is associated with a higher risk of progression to cirrhosis, liver failure, and hepatocellular carcinoma compared to hepatitis B virus (HBV) mono-infection. Bulevirtide is the recently available treatment against hepatitis delta. The results of efficacy studies and new drugs (lonafarnib) are under discussion. New therapeutic strategies are in development, revealing a critical need for valid next-generation treatments to cure HDV.

Keywords: coinfection; epidemiology; hepatitis delta; superinfection; treatment.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Targeting the hepatitis D virus life cycle: current and investigational antiviral strategies.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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