Hepatitis D
can be treated with pegylated interferon, which is also active against
hepatitis B. The addition of hepatitis D can make chronic hepatitis B
significantly worse and increases the risk of cirrhosis and liver cancer.
Treatment
with pegylated interferon does not usually lead to a cure, but can reduce how
much both viruses are replicating. Unfortunately, once treatment stops, the hepatitis
D viral load often rises again. Nucleoside and nucleotide analogues (lamivudine,
adefovir, entecavir, telbivudine, tenofovir) work against hepatitis B, but
don’t appear to be effective against hepatitis D.
Combination
therapies appear to be promising. In a study published in 2011, a quarter of
participants with hepatitis D were cured when they took a combination of
peginterferon alfa and adefovir.
Glossary
- cirrhosis
Scarring of the liver – the structure of the liver is altered. See also
‘fibrosis’, which is moderate scarring. See also ‘compensated cirrhosis’ and
‘decompensated cirrhosis’.
- nucleoside
One
of the building blocks from which DNA and RNA are made.