Hepatitis D

Hepatitis D is a rare virus that affects the liver. You can only get hepatitis D if you have hepatitis B, which is another type of viral hepatitis.

The information on this page is for:

Adults with hepatitis D or suspected hepatitis D
Family, friends, carers, and healthcare professionals.

Hepatitis D is much less common than hepatitis B. Globally it is estimated that less than 5 people out of 100 who live with hepatitis B will also have hepatitis D. In the UK it is estimated that around 160 people a year are diagnosed with hepatitis D.

If you have hepatitis B, you should be tested for hepatitis D.

Hepatitis D can make hepatitis B worse. People living with both viruses are more likely to get advanced scarring of the liver, cirrhosis or liver cancer than people who only have hepatitis B. Not everyone with hepatitis D gets serious liver disease.

Treatment for hepatitis B and D reduces the chance of serious liver disease. The main hepatitis D treatment for many years has been pegylated interferon, which is sometimes used to treat hepatitis B too. In 2023 a new treatment, bulevirtide, was approved for use in the UK.

Use the links on this page to find out more. You can bookmark this page and come back to it when you need to.

Quick Summary

Hepatitis D:

Is a virus that infects your liver
It is rare, around 160 people a year are diagnosed with hepatitis D in the UK
You can only get hepatitis D if you also have hepatitis B
These viruses can lead to serious liver damage, including cirrhosis and liver cancer
Treatments can’t get rid of the virus yet, but they can manage it, so it does less damage

Find out more about Hepatitis D using the links below.

Find out more

How do you get hepatitis D?

Tests

Treatment

Living with hepatitis D

Support

How Liver UK can help

A diagnosis of liver disease can be worrying, and you may have a lot of questions.

We're here for you and for your family and friends. Whether you have questions or just need someone to listen, we can help.

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This content was last reviewed: March 2026

Our expert reviewers:

We would like to thank everyone who helped with creating and reviewing this page. Including Dr Apostolos Koffas, Consultant Hepatologist, Royal London Hospital. And all our patient reviewers.

Find out how we make our patient information.

Everyone’s experience of liver disease will be different. Always talk to your specialist medical team for personal advice.