Liana Gheorghe, Speranta Iacob, Irma Eva Csiki, Mihaela Ghioca, Razvan Iacob, Ileana Constantinescu, Bogdan Chiper, Laura Huiban, Cristina Muzica, Irina Girleanu, Nicoleta Tiuca, Sorina Diaconu, Daniela Larisa Sandulescu, Ion Rogoveanu, Andra Iulia Suceveanu, Florentina Furtunescu, Corina Pop, Anca Trifan
{"title":"Unveiling Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Hepatitis D Among Vulnerable Communities in Romania.","authors":"Liana Gheorghe, Speranta Iacob, Irma Eva Csiki, Mihaela Ghioca, Razvan Iacob, Ileana Constantinescu, Bogdan Chiper, Laura Huiban, Cristina Muzica, Irina Girleanu, Nicoleta Tiuca, Sorina Diaconu, Daniela Larisa Sandulescu, Ion Rogoveanu, Andra Iulia Suceveanu, Florentina Furtunescu, Corina Pop, Anca Trifan","doi":"10.3390/v17010052","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Hepatitis B (HBV) and Delta (HDV) virus infections pose critical public health challenges, particularly in Romania, where HDV co-infection is underdiagnosed.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This study investigates the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of HBV/HDV co-infection in vulnerable populations, leveraging data from the LIVE(RO2) program. Conducted between July 2021 and November 2023, the program screened 320,000 individuals across 24 counties, targeting socially disadvantaged groups such as rural residents, the Roma community, and those lacking health insurance.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Among 6813 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive individuals, HDV antibody prevalence was 4.87%, with active replication confirmed in 75.6% of HDV-positive cases. Regional disparities emerged, with higher HDV prevalence and replication rates in the Eastern region compared to the South. HDV-positive individuals were more likely to be younger, male, and from rural or socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Clinically, HDV co-infection correlated with increased liver stiffness, advanced fibrosis stages, and lower steatosis levels compared to HBV mono-infection. Psychiatric comorbidities were more prevalent among HDV-positive patients, highlighting the need for integrated care.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study underscores the urgent need for targeted public health interventions, including enhanced screening, education, and access to novel antiviral therapies like bulevirtide to address the significant burden of HBV/HDV co-infection in Romania.</p>","PeriodicalId":49328,"journal":{"name":"Viruses-Basel","volume":"17 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.8000,"publicationDate":"2024-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11769301/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Viruses-Basel","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/v17010052","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"VIROLOGY","Score":null,"Total":0}
Unveiling Prevalence, Risk Factors, and Outcomes of Hepatitis D Among Vulnerable Communities in Romania.
Background: Hepatitis B (HBV) and Delta (HDV) virus infections pose critical public health challenges, particularly in Romania, where HDV co-infection is underdiagnosed.
Methods: This study investigates the epidemiology, risk factors, and clinical outcomes of HBV/HDV co-infection in vulnerable populations, leveraging data from the LIVE(RO2) program. Conducted between July 2021 and November 2023, the program screened 320,000 individuals across 24 counties, targeting socially disadvantaged groups such as rural residents, the Roma community, and those lacking health insurance.
Results: Among 6813 hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive individuals, HDV antibody prevalence was 4.87%, with active replication confirmed in 75.6% of HDV-positive cases. Regional disparities emerged, with higher HDV prevalence and replication rates in the Eastern region compared to the South. HDV-positive individuals were more likely to be younger, male, and from rural or socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. Clinically, HDV co-infection correlated with increased liver stiffness, advanced fibrosis stages, and lower steatosis levels compared to HBV mono-infection. Psychiatric comorbidities were more prevalent among HDV-positive patients, highlighting the need for integrated care.
Conclusions: This study underscores the urgent need for targeted public health interventions, including enhanced screening, education, and access to novel antiviral therapies like bulevirtide to address the significant burden of HBV/HDV co-infection in Romania.
期刊介绍：
Viruses (ISSN 1999-4915) is an open access journal which provides an advanced forum for studies of viruses. It publishes reviews, regular research papers, communications, conference reports and short notes. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. The full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. We also encourage the publication of timely reviews and commentaries on topics of interest to the virology community and feature highlights from the virology literature in the ''News and Views'' section. Electronic files or software regarding the full details of the calculation and experimental procedure, if unable to be published in a normal way, can be deposited as supplementary material.
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