• I M Ifeorah, Y Musa, L O Abdulkareem, O O Oguntoye, O D Gideon, A O Ogunwale, C O Ogu, and O E Ariyo.
• Department of Medical Laboratory Science, Faculty of Health Science and Technology, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus, Enugu State, Nigeria.
• Niger J Clin Pract. 2024 Aug 1; 27 (8): 100410111004-1011.

BackgroundThe near total absence of routine Hepatitis Delta Virus (HDV) screening in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa is a major challenge to understanding the burden of HDV in the region.AimTo evaluate Hepatitis Delta Virus screening practices and associated factors among clinicians in Nigeria.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted in June-July 2022, in which a self-administered questionnaire that inquired about HDV awareness, screening practices, and treatment options was shared electronically with consenting clinicians practicing in Nigeria. At the end of the survey, data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. The level of significance was set at 0.05.ResultsAt the end of the survey, 210 of the 213 responses retrieved from respondents were analyzed. The respondent's mean age was 38.60 ± 7.27 years with a male-to-female ratio of 1:2.5. They comprised 13.8% gastroenterologists and 86.2% respondents in other areas of clinical medicine. The study showed that 89.5% of the respondents knew that HDV infection occurs only in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected individuals. Most (91.4%) respondents do not screen for HDV in chronic HBV patients, mainly due to the non-availability of screening tools and lack of awareness of any screening test for HDV. Research interest was reported as the reason for screening among clinicians who had ever screened for HDV. Pegylated interferon was the main regimen used for treatment by 87.5% of respondents. About 2% did not know treatment options for HDV. A significant association between knowledge of HDV infection and area of specialty, as well as the nature of medical practice was noted (P = 0.008 and 0.013, respectively).ConclusionThe study showed a high level of awareness of HDV dependency on HBV, for natural infection to occur. However, it documented very minimal HDV screening in clinical settings and factors affecting screening among clinicians.Copyright © 2024 Copyright: © 2024 Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice.

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