Author information

¹Division of Digestive Diseases, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA.

²Health Sciences School & Medical Center, Universidad Internacional La Rioja (UNIR), Madrid, Spain.

³Public Health Regional Laboratory, Hospital Isabel Zendal, Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Madrid, Spain.

⁴Division of Digestive Diseases, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH 45267, USA. Electronic address: Kenneth.Sherman@UC.edu.

Abstract

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) only infects patients with hepatitis B virus (HBV) due to its reliance on HBV surface proteins to form its envelope. With shared routes of transmission, HDV coinfection is estimated to occur in 15% of patients with HIV and HBV. However, HDV is often underdiagnosed and may be missed particularly in people living with HIV (PLWH) who are already on antiretroviral therapy with anti-HBV activity and coincidental HBV suppression. At the same time, HDV causes the most severe form of chronic viral hepatitis and leads to faster progression of liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma. Thus, increased recognition and effective treatment are paramount, and as novel treatment options approach global markets, the study of their efficacy in PLWH should be pursued.