Hepatitis D Treatment

Treatment

The treatment varies with the form of the infection with hepatitis D virus. In the acute stage, the treatment is identical with the one from the other types of hepatitis: rest in bed as needed, balanced diet and avoiding alcohol.

The situation regarding the chronic infection with hepatitis D virus is more complicated. Until now, treatments with alpha-interferon - the natural body substance which helps control hepatitis C, acyclovir, ribavirin, lamivudine and synthetic analogues of thymosin, immunosuppressive agents were tried, but neither of them has proved to be effective in treating the disease caused by HDV.

Liver transplantation is an option in cases of largely destroyed or stopped functioning liver. But there is high risk that even the procedure is successfully, the disease will reappear, in which case the cirrhosis can occur and develop even more rapidly than before.

Liver transplantation has been helpful for treating fulminant acute and end-stage chronic hepatitis. In one study, the 5-year survival rate of transplant patients for terminal delta cirrhosis was 88% with reappearance of HBsAg only in 9% under long-term anti-HBs prophylaxis.

Hepatitis D Transmission Hepatitis D Treatment Hepatitis D Prevention