Prevalence of Hepatitis Delta Virus in Hemodialysis Patients with Hepatitis B Virus in Benghazi, Libya as Starting Point

Abstract

Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) is a subviral satellite RNA virus. It is consisting of approximately 1700 nucleotides long genomic circular RNA with one open reading frame encoding for two proteins (small delta antigens (HDAg-S) and large delta antigens (HDAg-L) coated with Hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg). HDV was discovered in 1977 in an Italian patient who had chronic HBV infection. HDV infection is of particular concern in hemodialysis (HD) units due to HD patient’s segregation into groups, lack of HDV diagnosis, irreversible complications of the infection, and controversial treatments. Several different studies were conducted in different parts of the world to explore the prevalence HDV in HD patients. The prevalence was ranging from zero to 58%. In France HDV infection in chronic HD and kidney transplant patients was zero. HDV antibody was detected in 1.7% of HD and renal transplantation patients in Brazil. In Khartoum State, Sudan prevalence of HDV among hepatitis B patients on HD was 13.3%. The prevalence of HDV in HD patients in Iran was 44.5%. HDV antibody was positive in 58% of the HD patients in Menoufiya, Egypt there is no study so far conducted on the prevalence of HDV in HD patients in Libya. The aim of this study was to call for medical personal managing HD units to apply new restriction rolls in managing their work environments for the wellbeing of their patients.