[Hepatitis delta virus (HDV) infection--a short review and personal results of the epidemiology].

After a short survey concerning the present state of knowledge of epidemiology and clinic of the HDV-infection the results of an epidemiological examination among HBsAg-positive patients of the county hospitals Potsdam and Leipzig are reported. In 110 HBsAg-positive patients (78.2% chronic HBsAg-state) no delta-infection was proved. The reason for this is seen in the fact that the epidemiological risk of the HDV-infection in countries with slight HDV-prevalence (as in the GDR) is low and main risk groups such as drug addicts have no social basis in the GDR. An essential risk group in the GDR are the haemophiliacs, who by the application of hepatitis-secure substitution preparations and by the active hepatitis immunisation also may reliably be protected from the delta-infection.