Analysis for hepatitis D: antibodies IgM to HDV in the blood
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Antibodies IgM to HDV in the serum are normal.
Viral hepatitis D is a viral infection due to the biological characteristics of the virus (HDV), which proceeds solely as co-or superinfection with viral hepatitis B, characterized by severe course, often with an unfavorable outcome.
The causative agent - HDV, by its biological properties approaches viroids - naked molecules of nucleic acids. The human liver is the only place of HDV replication. There are two variants of infection: co-infection (simultaneous infection of HBV and HDV) and superinfection (infection of HDV HB s Ag-positive patients). The combination of viral hepatitis B and viral hepatitis D is accompanied by the development of more severe forms of the pathological process, which is determined mainly by the action of HDV. Infection with HDV can cause an acute illness resulting in a recovery, or form a chronic carrier of HDV.
With viral hepatitis D, the markers of viral hepatitis B-anti-HB c and HB s Ag- can be absent in the blood . The oppression of DNA polymerase activity is noted, since HDV inhibits the replication of the HBV virus.
Antibodies to HDV IgM (anti-HDV IgM) appear in the acute period of infection (from the 2nd week). As the disease recovers from viral hepatitis D, the virus is eliminated from the liver and the anti-HDV IgM disappears (2 months after the onset of the peak period). When the process is chronicized, HDV persists in liver tissue and anti-HDV IgM in high concentrations in the blood.
Antibodies to HDV IgM indicate active replication of the virus.
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