Hepatitis D

Hepatitis D is a type of viral hepatitis^[1] caused by the hepatitis delta virus (HDV), a small particle that is like viroid and virusoid (plant viruses)^[2]^[3] that affects the liver, mainly the liver.

HDV is one of five known hepatitis viruses: A, B, C, D, and E. HDV is considered to be a satellite because it can appear if the hepatitis B virus (HBV) is present.^[4] It is said to be "defective" because it needs the hepatitis B virus to produce symptoms, otherwise it is harmless. The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently classified HDV as a class 1 carcinogen.^[5] It can cause liver cancer and liver cirrhosis.

References

↑ Hepatitis (Viral) NIDDK. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved 2020-06-19.
↑ Delta hepatitis: an update. Journal of Hepatology 39 (Suppl 1) (2003). p. S212–9. doi:10.1016/s0168-8278(03)00331-3.
↑ ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Deltavirus. The Journal of General Virology 99 (12) (December 2018). p. 1565–1566. doi:10.1099/jgv.0.001150.
↑ Molecular cloning and sequencing of a human hepatitis delta (delta) virus RNA. Nature 329 (6137) (1987). p. 343–6. doi:10.1038/329343a0.
↑ Hepatitis D (in en). www.who.int. Retrieved 2025-12-12.

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[1] Hepatitis (Viral) NIDDK. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Retrieved 2020-06-19.

[pmid14708706-2] Delta hepatitis: an update. Journal of Hepatology 39 (Suppl 1) (2003). p. S212–9. doi:10.1016/s0168-8278(03)00331-3.

[3] ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profile: Deltavirus. The Journal of General Virology 99 (12) (December 2018). p. 1565–1566. doi:10.1099/jgv.0.001150.

[4] Molecular cloning and sequencing of a human hepatitis delta (delta) virus RNA. Nature 329 (6137) (1987). p. 343–6. doi:10.1038/329343a0.

[5] Hepatitis D (in en). www.who.int. Retrieved 2025-12-12.

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