Reappraisal of the characteristics of glucose abnormalities in patients with chronic hepatitis C infection

OBJECTIVES: There is growing evidence suggesting the mutual link between type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. However, the impact of HCV infection on the suite of glucose abnormalities has rarely been investigated. The study aimed to determine the difference regarding the prevalence and the characteristics of glucose abnormalities between chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients and community-based controls. It also aimed to investigate the related clinical, virological, and histological features of glucose abnormalities in HCV infection. METHODS: Six hundred eighty-three CHC patients and 515 sex-/age-matched controls were included. Oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) was performed in 522 CHC patients and 447 controls without known T2DM. Clinical data were assessed upon the different stages of glucose abnormalities based on OGTT results. RESULTS: The prevalence of normoglycemia, IGT, and T2DM in 683 CHC patients was 27.7%, 34.6%, and 37.8%, respectively. There was a significant linear trend from normoglycemia to T2DM in terms of age, family history of T2DM, and advanced liver fibrosis in CHC patients. For those CHC patients without fibrosis, the prevalence of glucose abnormalities reached 67.9% high. All CHC patients carried a significantly higher prevalence than controls regarding those aged < 65 yr. For those without known DM, there was a 3.5-fold increase in the prevalence of glucose abnormalities in CHC (65.8%) patients in comparison with controls (35.3%) (OR 3.51, 95% CI 2.70-4.56, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CHC patients carried a high prevalence of glucose abnormalities. Determination of glucose abnormalities by OGTT may be suggested.