Hepatitis D
Why in news?
Hepatitis D virus (HDV) has been officially classified as a carcinogenic virus by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), part of the World Health Organization (WHO), putting it in the same category as hepatitis B and C viruses regarding cancer risk.
Key points regarding Hepatitis D and cancer risk are:
- HDV can only infect people already infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV).
- Co-infection with HDV and HBV significantly increases the risk of developing liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma) by 2 to 6 times compared to hepatitis B infection alone.
- Around 75% of people chronically infected with HDV develop liver cirrhosis within 15 years, a precursor condition that can lead to liver cancer.
- The combined infection causes more aggressive liver disease progression, with more rapid progression to cirrhosis, liver failure, and cancer, making hepatitis D the most severe form of viral hepatitis.
- Transmission occurs through blood and bodily fluids similar to HBV, and prevention is mainly through hepatitis B vaccination, which indirectly protects against hepatitis D.
- Despite hepatitis D being less common than hepatitis B alone, its high carcinogenic potential means it has a disproportionately severe impact on liver cancer burden globally.
Treatments for hepatitis D
- Bulevirtide is the only currently approved and widely used therapy with proven effectiveness and a good safety profile for chronic hepatitis D.
- It achieves viral suppression in most patients and improves liver inflammation.
- Other promising treatments are in advanced clinical trials and may soon provide additional options.
- These advances make hepatitis D a potentially manageable disease going forward, especially when combined with hepatitis B vaccination for prevention.
