Insulin Resistance is Common in Patients with Genotype 3

[CoWriter]

Dig Dis Sci. Aug 2009

Insulin resistance is common in patients with predominantly genotype 3 chronic hepatitis C.

Duseja A, Dhiman RK, Chawla Y, Thumburu KK, Kumar A, Das A, Bhadada S, Bhansali A.
Department of Hepatology, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India.

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been associated with insulin resistance or diabetes mellitus, but data are controversial on the role of different HCV genotypes in causing insulin resistance. We have designed a study aimed at determining insulin resistance in patients with chronic hepatitis C with predominant genotype 3. Insulin resistance was measured using a homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance in 85 non-diabetic, non-cirrhotic patients with chronic hepatitis C (genotype 3 = 54). The results were compared with 38 biopsy-proven patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and 25 age- and body mass index-matched healthy volunteers. Patients with chronic hepatitis C had a higher fasting insulin and homeostasis model of assessment for insulin resistance values than healthy volunteers (P = 0.0001). A large number of patients with chronic hepatitis C showed evidence of insulin resistance than healthy controls [53 (62.3%) vs. 4 (16%), respectively] (P < 0.0001). Of the various risk factors studied for insulin resistance in patients with chronic hepatitis C, higher waist (P = 0.010) and higher serum triglycerides (P = 0.002) were found to correlate with HOMA-insulin resistance. There was no difference in insulin resistance amongst patients with genotype 1 or 3, respectively. Based on these results, we conclude that insulin resistance is common among non-diabetic, non-cirrhotic patients with chronic hepatitis C. A majority of these patients had genotype 3, but there was no difference in insulin resistance between genotype 1 and genotype 3 patients.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19513842?ordinalpos=12&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_DefaultReportPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum