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There is only one cause of hepatitis D an infection with the hepatitis D virus (also known as HDV or the delta hepatitis agent). The hepatitis D virus is a small RNA virus that belongs to the genus Deltavirus. However, there is one important difference between hepatitis D and other types of viral hepatitis. A person who is infected with the hepatitis D virus must also have a hepatitis B infection in order for the hepatitis D virus to multiply. This is not the case with other types of viral hepatitis.

When a person is infected with the hepatitis D virus (and either has active hepatitis B or is co-infected with hepatitis B at the same time), the virus is able to enter liver cells from the blood and then use those cells to make more copies of the hepatitis D virus. As more and more of the hepatitis D virus is made in the liver cells, they can become damaged and may even die.

A person infected with the hepatitis D virus may develop a sudden onset of fever, extreme tiredness, nausea, a lack of appetite, abdominal pain (or stomach pain), and yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes (known as jaundice). Yet, not everyone infected with the hepatitis D virus will develop symptoms. With hepatitis D, a person can also develop a long-term liver infection (known as chronic hepatitis D).

There are many ways to contract HDV (hepatitis D Virus). Some include:

1.Nail clippers
2.Toothbrush
3.Razors
4.Contaminated blood
5.Sexually
6.Using intravenous (IV) drugs/ contaminated needles

HDV is passed most often through sharing IV drug needles with a person already infected with the virus. People that are receiving clotting factor concentrates may also be at a higher risk than most. The only way for a person to become infected with HDV is to first have type B hepatitis. If a person does not have HBV, the virus is not able to multiply itself.

Hepatitis D or delta hepatitis is caused by the hepatitis delta virus (HDV), a defective RNA virus. HDV requires the help of a hepadnavirus like hepatitis B virus (HBV) for its own replication. The delta virus is a small and incomplete viral particle. Perhaps this is why it cannot cause infection on its own. Its companion virus, HBV, actually forms a covering over the HDV

particle. In chronically ill patients (those whose virus persists longer than six months), the combined viruses cause inflammation throughout the liver and eventually destroy the liver cells, which are then replaced by scar tissue. This scarring is called cirrhosis.

When HBV and HDV infections develop at the same time, a condition called coinfection, recovery is the rule. Only 2–5% of patients become chronic carriers (have the virus remain in their blood more than six months after infection). It may be that HDV actually keeps HBV from reproducing as rapidly as it would if it were alone, so chronic infection is less likely.

When HBV infection occurs first and is followed by HDV infection, the condition is called superinfection. This is a more serious situation. Between half and two-thirds of patients with superinfection develop severe acute hepatitis. Once the liver cells contain large numbers of HBV viruses, HDV tends to reproduce more actively. Massive infection and liver failure are more common in superinfection. The risk of liver cancer, however, is no greater than from hepatitis B alone.