Insulin resistance in chronic hepatitis B and C.
OBJECTIVE
To determine whether insulin resistance occurs in patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) and chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and its relationship with the presence of liver fibrosis and steatosis.


METHODS
Untreated patients with CHC (n=60) or CHB (n=40), similar in age, gender, body mass index and waist-hip ratio, were studied. Relationship between anthropometric, biochemical (fasting serum insulin, C-peptide, ferritin, iron, TNF-alpha, cholesterol, triglyceride, bilirubin, hemoglobin and platelet concentrations) and liver biopsy (43 CHC and 20 CHB patients) findings was investigated by insulin resistance determined via the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR).


RESULTS
The mean fasting serum insulin was 14.9 (11.9) mU/mL in CHC and 21.4 (17.4) in the CHB group (normal range 0.7-9; p=0.049) and mean HOMA-IR was 3.1 (2.6) in CHC versus 4.7 (4.1) in the CHB group (normal range 0.12-4.61; p=0.036). HOMA-IR was significantly associated with fibrosis stage in the CHC group (p=0.015), but not in the CHB group.


CONCLUSIONS
Hyperinsulinemia occurs in chronic viral hepatitis B and hepatitis C; insulin resistance is associated with stage of fibrosis in hepatitis C.
Mohammad Alizadeh
Amir Houshang
AH
Research Center of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ahmaliver@yahoo.com
Fallahian
Farahnaz
F
Alavian
Seyed Moayed
SM
Ranjbar
Mitra
M
Hedayati
Mehdi
M
Rahimi
Farzaneh
F
Khedmat
Hossein
H
Etemadi
Arash
A
Zali
Mohammad Reza
MR
Azizi
Fereidoun
F
D000328:Adult; D004279:DNA, Viral / Q000097:blood; D005234:Fatty Liver / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D005838:Genotype; D016174:Hepacivirus / Q000235:genetics; D019694:Hepatitis B, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance / Q000502:physiology*; D016014:Linear Models; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D019562:Viral Load
D004279:DNA, Viral