Asymptomatic chronic hepatitis B virus infection does not increase the risk of diabetes mellitus: A ten-year observation

Background and Aim: Chronic hepatitis C virus infection has been known to increase the risk of diabetes. Whether this association holds true for chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection remains unclear. We thus conducted this study to investigate the influence of asymptomatic chronic HBV infection on the incidence of diabetes in a longitudinal cohort. Methods: A total of 1233 adults who received health examinations in 1997-1998 and in 2000-2001 were enrolled. Among them, 483 subjects who received a third health examination in 2006-2008 were further sampled. The prevalence and incidence of diabetes between asymptomatic HBV carriers and non-HBV controls were compared using the chi 2-test and logistic regression. Results: In 1997-1998, the prevalence rates of diabetes (9.49 and 12.0%) and glucose intolerance (28.5 and 25.4%) in HBV carriers and non-HBV controls were comparable (P > 0.05). There was no significant correlation between asymptomatic HBV infection and the presence of diabetes in subjects examined in 1997-1998, 2000-2001, or 2006-2008 when adjusted for age, gender, and body mass index (P > 0.05). In 296 non-diabetic subjects during 1997-1998, the ten-year incidence of diabetes/glucose intolerance was similar between HBV carriers and non-HBV controls (40.0 and 38.7%, P > 0.05). Moreover, no significant correlation was found between asymptomatic HBV infection and the incidence of diabetes/glucose intolerance in 2006-2008 (P = 0.775). Conclusions: Compared to non-HBV controls, subjects with asymptomatic chronic HBV infection do not have an increased risk of diabetes, and thus HBV itself is not pro-diabetic.