Hepatitis D Health Video

Video Transcript

CAROLYN COOPER, MD: I'm Dr. Cooper and I'm going to be talking about hepatitis D. Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver and hepatitis D is inflammation of the liver due to a virus called hepatitis D. And hepatitis D, also known as the delta virus, was first described in 1977 in Italy. And hepatitis D is an interesting virus and in the fact that it requires the presence of hepatitis B to infect the individual. So, the signs and symptoms of hepatitis D are jaundice, abdominal pain, nausea, anorexia, and change in color of stools and urine. So, once hepatitis D has been diagnosed, the treatment is really supportive care if this is an acute infection. If the patient has not been vaccinated against hepatitis B, they should also have that vaccination. There is no specific treatment against hepatitis D. Interferon alfa has been used in severe cases of hepatitis D and in very, very rare cases liver transplant is the only treatment available. The most people at risk for hepatitis D are people in the Mediterranean where hepatitis D is more common and in IV drug users.