Frequency of CAP-Defined Hepatic Steatosis and Its Association with Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Hepatitis Delta

Background and Aim: Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection is among the most aggressive forms of chronic viral hepatitis: fibrosis advances quickly, and cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and hepatic decompensation develop more often than with other hepatitis viruses. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is now the leading chronic liver disorder worldwide, and it may add to liver damage when it occurs alongside viral hepatitis. To date, however, data on hepatic steatosis in patients with chronic HDV infection remain scarce. We therefore aimed to describe the frequency of hepatic steatosis, assessed by the controlled attenuation parameter of transient elastography (FibroScan), in patients with chronic HBV infection and persistent anti-HDV seropositivity, and to examine whether it was associated with liver fibrosis.

Methods