Hepatitis D is an infection of the liver caused by a defective virus (delta agent). Delta agent can cause infection only in those individuals who have an active hepatitis B infection or who are a hepatitis B carrier.

In the United States, hepatitis D infection occurs most commonly in persons who are at high risk of hepatitis B infection, particularly drug addicts and persons with hemophilia. Persons who are hepatitis B carriers are at increased risk of hepatitis D infection, especially as they participate in activities which put them at risk of repeated exposure to hepatitis D (e.g., intravenous drug abuse, and unsafe sex, especially among homosexuals).

It is important to know when and how long a person is able to spread hepatitis D. Blood is potentially infectious during all phases of acute delta agent infection, but an individual is probably most infectious just prior to onset of his illness. A chronically infected person's blood may continue to be infectious.

The virus is a "defective" RNA virus that requires the presence of the hepatitis B (HBV) virus to reproduce. It cannot infect a person who is not already infected with HBV, though it may be acquired either at the same time as an HBV infection, or later, as a "super-infection" in someone who already has HBV.

People with simultaneous, or co-infection, of HBV and HDV have a much higher risk of fulminant hepatitis (2 percent to 20 percent) than do people with HBV alone. Fulminant means severe hepatitis. While the chances of developing chronic HBV infection usually decreases in the presence of HDV super-infections, most patients will develop chronic HDV infections that produce more frequent and more severe liver disease and cirrhosis than does chronic HBV infection alone. Cirrhosis is a slowly developing form of liver damage, which results in the liver becoming hard and enlarged as normal tissue is replaced by scar tissue.

Onset of symptoms is usually abrupt and include

• fatigue
  
• poor appetite
  
• fever
  
• vomiting
  
• occasionally joint pain
  
• hives or rash
  
• urine becoming dark in color
  
• jaundice (a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
  

Some individuals may experience few or no symptoms.

The time period in man between exposure and onset of symptoms has not been firmly established; this period in experimentally infected chimpanzees is 2-10 weeks.

Routes of transmission of hepatitis D are similar to those of hepatitis B. For this reason, it is seen in individuals who have received a blood transfusion or who have shared needles during drug abuse.

A test for detection of total antibody to hepatitis D virus is commercially available. Other tests which detect early infection are available only in research labs.

The hepatitis D virus is diagnosed by a blood test that indicates anti-HDV. Some who are infected with HBV hepatitis also show a co-infection with HDV. Being infected with both HDV and HBV seems to make the acute hepatitis more severe and cause a higher-than-normal rate of chronic hepatitis.

• Conventional Treatments
  

Although the prognosis for those with chronic HDV infection is often poor, treatment for HDV chronic hepatitis is the same as for HBV. The use of interferon can be a successful treatment for some.

A vaccine may be considered to prevent one from getting the disease. Infection with HDV can be prevented by vaccinating those at risk with the hepatitis B vaccine. However, those who already have hepatitis B cannot prevent infection with HDV because there is no HDV vaccine.

• Alternative/Complementary Treatments
  

Fighting disease is a battle. Some turn to strictly alternative approaches in anguish when conventional treatments are exhausted. However, “alternative” treatments when used in addition to conventional medicine are often referred to as “complementary”. Complementary medicine is a more balanced approach in the effort to treat disease and is recommended because it allows one to take advantage of all options that are available.

It should be noted that because alternative or natural remedies are not regulated, many medical professionals advise against them because of the lack of pier studies and uncertainty of the level of quality control. In addition, they advise that any substance that can affect the body's chemistry can, like any drug, produce side effects that may be harmful. In other words, herbal remedies should be viewed as symptom treating aids, just as pharmaceutical drugs are.

However, there is hope. A relatively new science, called Glycobiology, now offers revolutionary and exciting options. Rather than taking the approach of treating a disease or even a symptom, Glycobiology addresses the nutritional requirement at the cellular level. It is believed that:

"Glycobiology is the last scientific frontier to be conquered. It is now understood that there is a 'sugar code' in biological structures that relates to both health and disease. Our ability to define the factors that regulate normal glycosylation of proteins and lipids, resulting in normal structures and functions, and those that cause disruption of normal sugar attachments will be important in understanding disease processes and their management.

Many investigative approaches are being used to study these structure-function relationships and their biological consequences. These include novel analytical techniques to investigate chemical and 3-dimensional structures, proteomics to understand the relationship between glycosylation change and disease, model living systems in which to study the impact of glycosylation, and new enzyme and glycotherapeutic techniques to alter abnormal structures.

Most major diseases that afflict mankind (e.g., cancer, rheumatoid arthritis, heart disease, diabetes, infectious diseases and neurodegenerative diseases) directly involve glycoconjugates. The ultimate goal is to develop the science of glycobiology so that it can have a significant impact on our ability to define and support health, and to diagnose and manage disease."
John S. Axford, BS, MD, FRCP

In 1994, legislation was passed that enabled millions of Americans to enjoy access to safe, effective and affordable dietary supplements. The Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (Enrolled as Agreed to or Passed by Both House and Senate) revealed the following:

• The importance of nutrition and the benefits of dietary supplements to health promotion and disease prevention have been documented increasingly in scientific studies;
  
• There is a link between the ingestion of certain nutrients or dietary supplements and the prevention of chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, and osteoporosis; and
  
• Clinical research has shown that several chronic diseases can be prevented simply with a healthful diet, such as a diet that is low in fat, saturated fat, cholesterol, and sodium, with a high proportion of plant-based foods;
  

I have seen first hand the power and benefits of Glycobiology as it relates to my wife LaDonna and her battle and victory against liver disease. Her turnaround validates the findings that Congress and many scientists in the field of Glycobiology have determined; we must not underestimate the importance of nutrition. A category of specific nutrients led us to find a specific nutritional therapy, which proved very positive. These particular nutrients are called glyconutrients. More specific information on these and other nutritional building blocks associated with this science may be found here.

There are some long-term effects without vaccination. They are

• HDV can be acquired either as a co-infection (occurs simultaneously) with hepatitis B virus (HBV) or as a superinfection in persons with existing chronic HBV infection.
  
• HBV-HDV co-infection may have more severe acute disease and a higher risk (2%-20%) of developing acute liver failure compared with those infected with HBV alone.
  
• HBV-HDV superinfection: chronic HBV carriers who acquire HDV superinfection usually develop chronic DV infection. progression to cirrhosis is believed to be more common with HBV/HDV chronic infections.
  

Acute hepatitis D infects only people who have hepatitis B. Transmission of the hepatitis delta virus (HDV) to the newborn during pregnancy and/or childbirth is exceedingly uncommon. Delta hepatitis is preventable by administration of the hepatitis B vaccine.

On a more personal note...

In June of 2004, my wife LaDonna was diagnosed with autoimmune hepatitis after blood tests,liver scan, and a liver biopsy revealed 85% damage. Her doctor recommended that she should consider a liver transplant as soon as possible.

The success of her treatment came as a result depending less and less on drugs and more and more on nutrition. The specific category of nutrition that brought about this success is glyconutrients.

It is clear that autoimmune hepatitis and hepatitis D are completely distinct conditions, and there is no evidence of a link between infection with the HDV and autoimmune hepatitis. However, just as autoimmune hepatitis presents chronic fatigue (as my wife LaDonna can attest), many with HDV begin to feel a similar chronic fatigue that is commonly associated with this particular disease.

While there are no guarantees, it is possible that LaDonna's treatment plan that led to a complete reversal of her autoimmune hepatitis could possibly offer similar hope for those suffering with HDV. The same glyconutrient therapy that brought about a reduction of chronic fatigue and a return of her energy level could conceivably bring about improved energy levels and improved liver enzymes levels in those afflicted with HDV. Just as her immune system was optimized, an optimized immune system in a patient with HDV could give the body a better chance of dealing with this virus.

While hepatitis D is caused from a different virus than that of hepatitis C, this fact is still worth noting. In a Clinical Study of 8 HCV-Positive Patients who were given natural Glyconutrient supplements, published in the peer-reviewed Medical Journal "Proceedings of the Fisher Institute For Medical Research", 88% showed improvements in ALT and/or AST, the Liver Enzyme markers which characteristically test abnormal for HCV patients. In addition, 50% of the patients showed marked improvement in fatigue.

Since this study was run, a higher potency Glyconutrient formulation has been developed and is the one that LaDonna used.

We invite you to stay and browse through the other information found on our site. Or perhaps you'd like to speak with us right away, to learn more about glyconutrients and the specifics of LaDonna's nutritritional therapy. Maybe you would like to explore if this therapy might be useful for other disease concerns. If so, please provide an e-mail address in the form below and we would be happy to get back to you with contact information so that we could make arrangements to speak privately with you at your convenience. Important: Please be sure that there are no typos in your e-mail address so that we will be successful in contacting you.

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This web site is here for general purposes only. Nothing on it should be considered as medical advice, which can only be given to you by your own medical doctor. Some information you read on this site may be inappropriate for your own situation, or you may interpret or misinterpret something in a way that could be distressing or harmful to you. For advice about your own situation, ask your doctor!