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Hepatitis delta infection in Italian patients: towards the end of the story?

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Abstract

Background

The endemicity of hepatitis delta virus infection in Italy has decreased in the last decades.

Aim

To evaluate the current epidemiology of chronic delta infection in Italy and to compare the present findings with the corresponding figures from the previous studies.

Methods

A cross-sectional study involving 16 referral centres scattered all over the country in 2014.

Results

Out of the 513 hepatitis B surface antigen-positive subjects enrolled, 61 (11.9%) were anti-delta positive, with a sex ratio (M/F) of 2.05. The majority (80.3%) of them was 50 years or older, while the proportion of subjects younger than 30 years of age was as low as 3.3%. No difference was detected by geographical area of residence. The presence of liver cirrhosis was diagnosed in 52.4% of cases. In comparison to previous studies, a further shift towards the oldest age groups and an increasing proportion of subjects having liver cirrhosis among all anti-delta-positive subjects are observed.

Conclusions

Currently, hepatitis delta infection mostly affects old people who have an advanced but indolent liver disease, reflecting a survival effect. The defective hepatitis delta virus is near to disappear in the country, where it has been discovered in the second half of 70s.

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Abbreviations

HDV:

Hepatitis delta virus

HBV:

Hepatitis B virus

HBsAg:

Hepatitis B surface antigen

anti-HDV:

Antibodies to delta virus

HCC:

Hepatocellular carcinoma

AFP:

Alpha-fetoprotein

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Acknowledgements

The members of EPACRON study group: Coordinating group: Piero Luigi Almasio, Giovanni Battista Gaeta, Evangelista Sagnelli, Tommaso Stroffolini. Peripheral centres: Angelo Andriulli (Gastroenterology Unit, Fondazione “Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza” IRCCS Hospital, San Giovanni Rotondo, Foggia, Italy), Sergio Babudieri (Clinical of Infectious Disease, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy), Giuseppina Brancaccio, Bruno Cacopardo, Guido Colloredo (Department of Internal Medicine, San Pietro Hospital, Ponte San Pietro, Italy), Nicola Coppola (Department of Mental Health and Public Medicine, Second University of Naples, Italy), Massimo De Luca, Caterina Furlan, Anna La Licata (Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Di.Bi.MI.S. University of Palermo, Italy), Filomena Morisco (Department of Clinical Medicine and Surgery, Gastroenterology Unit, University of Naples “Federico II”, Naples, Italy), Mario Pirisi (Department of Translational Medicine, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Novara, Italy) Mariantonietta Pisaturo (Division of Infectious Diseases, AORN Sant’Anna e San Sebastiano di Caserta, 81100, Caserta, Italy), Floriano Rosina, Maurizio Russello, Caterina Sagnelli, Teresa Santantonio (Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Foggia, 71100 Foggia, Italy), Antonina Smedile (Department of Gastroenterology, Molinette Hospital, C.so Bramante 88, 10126 Turin, Italy).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Policlinico Umberto Primo, Rome, Italy

    Tommaso Stroffolini & Caterina Furlan

  2. Department of Mental Health and Public Medicine, Second University of Naples, Caserta, Italy

    Evangelista Sagnelli & Caterina Sagnelli

  3. Operative Unit of Hepatology and Gastroenterology, A.R.N.A.S. Garibaldi-Nesima of the Catania, Catania, Italy

    Maurizio Russello

  4. Liver Unit, Division of Hepatology, Department of Transplantation, Cardarelli Hospital, Naples, Italy

    Massimo De Luca

  5. Hepatogastroenterology Division, Ospedale Gradenigo, 10153, Turin, Italy

    Floriano Rosina

  6. Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Institute of Infectious Diseases, University of Catania, Catania, Italy

    Bruno Cacopardo

  7. Infectious Diseases, Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, Second University of Naples, Naples, Italy

    Giuseppina Brancaccio & Giovanni Battista Gaeta

  8. Gastroenterology and Hepatology Unit, Biomedical Department of Internal and Specialized Medicine (Di.Bi.M.I.S.), University of Palermo, Piazza delle Cliniche, 2, 90127, Palermo, Italy

    Anna Licata & Piero Luigi Almasio

Authors
  1. Tommaso Stroffolini
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  2. Evangelista Sagnelli
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  3. Caterina Sagnelli
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  4. Maurizio Russello
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  5. Massimo De Luca
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  6. Floriano Rosina
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  7. Bruno Cacopardo
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  8. Giuseppina Brancaccio
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  9. Caterina Furlan
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  10. Giovanni Battista Gaeta
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  11. Anna Licata
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  12. Piero Luigi Almasio
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Consortia

behalf of EPACRON study group

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Piero Luigi Almasio.

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Conflict of interest

All the authors of the manuscript declare that they have no conflict of interest in connection with this paper.

Financial support

An unrestricted grant for the study was provided by Gilead.

Additional information

The members of EPACRON study group are listed in Acknowledgements.

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Stroffolini, T., Sagnelli, E., Sagnelli, C. et al. Hepatitis delta infection in Italian patients: towards the end of the story?. Infection 45, 277–281 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-016-0956-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s15010-016-0956-1

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