title: Insulin resistance in chronic hepatitis B and C.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Research Center of Gastroenterology and Liver Disease, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. ahmaliver@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Amir Houshang
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mohammad Alizadeh
authors.forename: Farahnaz
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Fallahian
authors.forename: Seyed Moayed
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Alavian
authors.forename: Mitra
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ranjbar
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hedayati
authors.forename: Farzaneh
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rahimi
authors.forename: Hossein
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Khedmat
authors.forename: Arash
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Etemadi
authors.forename: Mohammad Reza
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Zali
authors.forename: Fereidoun
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Azizi
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004279:DNA, Viral