Background and aims: Hepatitis B (HBV) and Hepatitis Delta virus (HDV) infection have undergone significant changes in Italy over the past few decades, but reliable and updated prevalence of chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and Delta (CHD) data are lacking. The aim of the study was to describe the epidemiology of CHB and CHD in Italy in 2024, based on real-world data.
Methods: The number of patients with a healthcare expenditure exemption for CHB (016.070.32) and CHD (016.070.33) was obtained from 21 Regional Health Authorities. To understand how many CHB or CHD patients did not have these specific exemptions, a survey was conducted in 30 Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Infectious Diseases Units across the country.
Results: Health Authorities data reported 67 514 and 5216 subjects with an exemption for CHB and for CHD, respectively. However, among 6775 CHB and 504 CHD patients, only 60.3% and 55.7% of them had the specific exemption, respectively. Based on these results, we estimated 111 960 (95% CI: 109 780-114 240) CHB and 9360 (95% CI: 8690-10 150) CHD patients, with a prevalence of 0.22% and 0.019% of the adult overall population. Moreover, anti-HDV prevalence was 7.7% from this cohort.
Conclusion: Our study provides a plausible estimate of the current number of adult patients diagnosed with CHB and CHD in Italy and may be considered the basis for decision-making health policies.
Keywords: HBV; HDV; Italy; epidemiology; prevalence.
© 2025 The Author(s). Liver International published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.