title: Insulin resistance, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatitis C virus infection.
abstract: Due to their high prevalence, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), insulin resistance (IR) and hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection are bound to cohabit. However, the relationship between these 3 entities is complex and multilayered. HCV, particularly genotype 3, may induce a "viral" steatosis, morphologically indistinguishable from the steatosis of NAFLD but with different implications and prognosis. On the other hand, epidemiological and experimental data show that patients with HCV have a higher risk of developing IR and, in susceptible individuals, type 2 diabetes (T2D). In patients with HCV, T2D increases fibrosis progression rate, increases the incidence of HCC, worsens liver-related outcomes and worsens response to interferon-α based therapy. We conclude by discussing a possible increased incidence of cardiovascular events in HCV patients.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Goossens
authors.affiliation: Divisions of Clinical Pathology and of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Geneva University Hospital, 4 rue Gabrielle-Perret-Gentil, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland. Francesco.Negro@hcuge.ch.
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Negro
mesh_terms: D019698:Hepatitis C, Chronic / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D007333:Insulin Resistance; D065626:Non-alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease / Q000378:metabolism*