Researchers herein analyzed hospitalization data from the 2010–2018 National Inpatient Sample from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project with the aim to ascertain the incidence of hepatitis D-associated hospitalizations in the United States. Further, they reported the clinical, demographic and geographic characteristics of those hospitalizations.

• A total of 3,825 hepatitis D-associated hospitalizations were identified.

• For hepatitis D, a hospitalization rate between 6.9 and 20.7 per 10,000,000 was noted, which changed insignificantly over time.

• A greater proportion of males, Hispanics, hospitalizations in the Northeast region were observed in the hepatitis D cohort when compared to HBV only.

• There were significantly greater frequencies of liver failure, non-alcoholic cirrhosis, portal hypertension, ascites and thrombocytopenia in correlation with the hepatitis D-associated hospitalizations.

• While hepatitis D linked with mortality similar to that of HBV only, there were increased odds of mortality within the hepatitis D cohort in correlation with age > 65 years and having a diagnosis of alcoholic cirrhosis.

• Although relatively uncommon, the hepatitis D-associated hospitalizations were associated with severe complications.