Where Can I Order Hepatitis D Testing?
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Where Can I Order Hepatitis D Testing?

By Sierra Pellechio, Hepatitis Delta Connect Coordinator

Historically, testing for hepatitis D, also known as hepatitis delta or HDV, has been difficult to access and often not commercially available. With the rise in awareness about hepatitis B and D coinfection, more tests are beginning to be offered by multiple labs for clinicians in the United States looking to test their patients. Because hepatitis D can only infect people who also have hepatitis B, the Hepatitis B Foundation’s medical director and leading hepatologist Dr. Robert Gish recommends testing all hepatitis B patients for hepatitis D. “Screening all hepatitis B patients will allow a better understanding of hepatitis D prevalence and its impact on outcomes and will identify patients who can be offered treatment within or outside clinical trials.”

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Testing
The first step in diagnosing a hepatitis D infection is the HDV antibody total (anti-HDV) test. Patients who have recovered from or are currently infected with hepatitis D will be positive for the anti-HDV and will present high titers in later stages of acute infection and persist in cases of chronic infection. If the HDV antibody total test is positive, it should be followed by the HDV RNA (PCR) test to confirm an active infection. If this test is negative, a current infection is unlikely.  

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