title: Impairment of health-related quality of life in patients with chronic hepatitis C is associated with insulin resistance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although it has been reported that hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is associated with a significant decline in health-related quality of life (HRQOL), the underlying causes and mechanisms are still unknown. Insulin resistance (IR) is recognized as a distinct aspect of chronic HCV infection. Therefore, we attempted to identify the factors including IR indices that are related to the HRQOL of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred and seventy-five CHC patients (91 female, 84 male, mean age, 56.4 years) not using antidiabetic agents were included and underwent a 75-g oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) and completed a self-administered HRQOL questionnaire, the Short Form 36 (SF-36), which is a well-validated questionnaire for assessing general QOL. Scale scores were standardized and summarized into physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS). We investigated which clinical parameters, including homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), were associated with decline in PCS and MCS scores in CHC patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were no significant differences in clinical parameters between high and low MCS, but there were significant differences in age, sex, hemoglobin, liver fibrosis, OGTT pattern, and HOMA-IR between high and low PCS. Multivariate analysis showed that HOMA-IR >2 was independently associated with lower PCS (OR 2.92, p < 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results suggest that impairment of HRQOL, especially physical domains, in CHC patients is associated with IR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Saga Medical School, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga, 849-8501, Japan.
authors.forename: Takuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuwashiro
authors.forename: Toshihiko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Mizuta
authors.forename: Yasunori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawaguchi
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iwane
authors.forename: Hirokazu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Noriko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Oza
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Oeda
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Isoda
authors.forename: Yuichiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Eguchi
authors.forename: Iwata
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Ozaki
authors.forename: Keizo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Anzai
authors.forename: Kazuma
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D005951:Glucose Tolerance Test; D006304:Health Status; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000378:metabolism; D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006706:Homeostasis; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins