title: Insulin resistance/beta-cell function and serum ferritin level in non-diabetic patients with hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Since impaired glucose tolerance and iron overload are frequently demonstrated in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related liver diseases, in this study we investigated insulin resistance, pancreatic beta-cell function, i.e., insulin secretion, and serum ferritin levels in patients with HCV infection, especially non-diabetic patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Homeostasis model assessments for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) and beta-cell function (HOMA-beta) were performed in 92 HCV-infected patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The levels of plasma immunoreactive insulin (IRI), HOMA-IR, and HOMA-beta were significantly correlated with fasting plasma glucose (FPG) levels. Among the 86 non-diabetics (with an FPG of <126 mg/dl), IRI, HOMA-IR, and HOMA-beta were significantly higher in patients with liver cirrhosis than in patients with persistently normal alanine aminotransferase levels. The IRI and HOMA-IR values, but not the HOMA-beta values, were correlated with both serum transaminase and ferritin levels in the 65 non-diabetic chronic hepatitis patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Insulin resistance was connected with impaired glucose tolerance and the severity of liver diseases in non-diabetic patients with HCV infection. Iron overload may be responsible for insulin resistance, or vice versa. Pancreatic beta-cell function was unrelated to the patients' serum ferritin levels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kyoto, Japan.
authors.forename: Masanori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Furutani
authors.forename: Toshiaki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakashima
authors.forename: Yoshio
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sumida
authors.forename: Akihisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hirohama
authors.forename: Takaharu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yoh
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kakisaka
authors.forename: Hironori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mitsuyoshi
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Senmaru
authors.forename: Takeshi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Okanoue
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000410:Alanine Transaminase / Q000097:blood; D001786:Blood Glucose; D005215:Fasting; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D006526:Hepatitis C / Q000097:blood*; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D007515:Islets of Langerhans / Q000378:metabolism*; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D007328:Insulin; D005293:Ferritins; D000410:Alanine Transaminase