Hepatitis D-related hospitalizations were relatively uncommon in the U.S. but they were found to be linked with severe complications.

• Using hospitalization data from the 2010-2018 National Inpatient Sample from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, researchers identified 3,825 hepatitis D-associated hospitalizations.

• Hepatitis D-associated hospitalization rate was between 6.9 to 20.7 per 10,000,000 but did not alter significantly over time.

• Relative to hepatitis B only (HBV only), the hepatitis D cohort was found to have a greater proportion of males, Hispanics, hospitalizations in the Northeast region.

• In hepatitis D-associated hospitalizations, there were significantly greater frequencies of liver failure, non-alcoholic cirrhosis, portal hypertension, ascites, and thrombocytopenia.

• While similar mortality was noted in hepatitis D vs HBV only, the factors that elevated the odds of mortality within the hepatitis D cohort were: age >65 years (OR=3.79) and having a diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis (OR=3.37).