Seroprevalence of hepatitis C in type 2 diabetes: evidence for a positive association

Abstract

BackgroundThere is a growing body of literature on the relationship of Hepatitis C virus infection (HCV) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). However, there are certain gaps in literature and the data is inconclusive. This study was, therefore, carried out to determine the prevalence of HCV infection in diabetic patients and to elucidate the presence of any possible relationship between HCV and T2DM in this region.MethodsSerologic testing for anti-HCV antibody was done on a sample of 3000 individuals with T2DM visiting Diabetes Clinic of Nishtar Medical College Hospital, Multan and 10,000 volunteer blood donors visiting blood bank of the same hospital during the study period using Accurate rapid immunochromatographic kits which was later confirmed by using Chemelex S.A third generation ELISA kit for positive cases. Data about various variables was collected from diabetic patients using a structured questionnaire after taking informed consent.ResultsPrevalence rate of 13.7% for HCV infection was recorded among subjects having T2DM with seropositivity rate of 4.9% among the control group of volunteer blood donors without diabetes. The patients with T2DM were more likely to have HCV infection as compared to the control group (OR = 3.03, 95%CI = 2.64-3.48, p = 0.001). Diabetic patients with age above 55 years had higher prevalence rate as compared to younger individuals. Male patients had significantly high seropositivity as compared to female patients (15.3% vs. 12.4%, p = 0.02). Those with duration of diabetes 11 years and above and the ones with good glycemic control had higher seroprevalence rates of 18.2% and 18.7% respectively. There was no statistically significant difference among subjects when the distribution of HCV was studied on the basis of marital status, locality, or family history of diabetes.ConclusionsThe results show that there is a strong association between HCV and T2DM in the region as evident from significantly higher prevalence of HCV infection in diabetics as compared to the control group in the present study.

Prevalence and Genotype Distribution of Hepatitis C Virus Infection among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

“…This finding is in agreement with the report of Olokoba et al [3], but is in disagreement with the findings of Jadoon et al [10] and Laloo et al [28]. These variations in gender distribution of HCV infection among diabetic patients in different studies might be due to some differences in the predominant routes of transmission, social life styles, and risk behavior patterns between these two genders in different parts of the world.…”

“…Since then, a higher prevalence of HCV was reported in diabetic patients than nondiabetic subjects in several studies [3, 6, 10], while others [13, 14] did not report any difference.…”

“…Chronic HCV infection might lead to liver failure, cirrhosis, or hepatocellular carcinoma in a proportion of cases over time [4]. In addition, this long-term chronic infection is capable of causing some extrahepatic manifestations with serious consequences, such as mixed cryoglobulinemia, porphyria cutaneous tarda, type 2 DM, thyroid disorders, glomerulonephritis, and lichen planus [10, 11]. Amongst them, type 2 DM is the most notable in recent years.…”

Infections in patients with diabetes mellitus: A review of pathogenesis

“…[56] Approximately 50–80% of these patients develop a chronic infection and have a greater chance to progress to cirrhosis.…”

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“…This finding was similar to results reported by other investigators. [7][8][9] In 1 study, HCV-positive recipients had a significantly lower insulin sensitivity (3.0 ± 2.1min−1.μU.mL−1.104) than HCV-negative recipients (4.9 ± 3.0 min−1. μU.mL−1.104; P = .02), but insulin secretion and hepatic insulin uptake were not significantly different.…”