Prevalence of type 2 diabetes in Algerian patients with hepatitis C virus infection

AIM: To investigate the prevalence of, and risk factors for, diabetes mellitus (DM) in Algerian patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection and in a control group. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was undertaken. A total of 416 consecutive patients with viral chronic hepatitis attending the Internal Medicine Department of the University Hospital Center Touhami Benflis in Batna [290 HCV-infected and 126 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-infected patients] were prospectively recruited. RESULTS: The prevalence of DM was higher in HCV-infected patients in comparison with HBV-infected patients (39.1% vs 5%, P < 0.0001). Among patients without cirrhosis, diabetes was more prevalent in HCV-infected patients than in HBV-infected patients (33.5% vs 4.3%, P < 0.0001). Among patients with cirrhosis, diabetes was more prevalent in HCV-infected patients, but the difference was not significant (67.4% vs 20%, P = 0.058). The logistic regression analysis showed that HCV infection [odds ratio (OR) 4.73, 95% CI: 1.7-13.2], metabolic syndrome (OR 12.35, 95% CI: 6.18-24.67), family history of diabetes (OR 3.2, 95% CI: 1.67-6.13) and increased hepatic enzymes (OR 2.22, 95% CI: 1.1-4.5) were independently related to DM in these patients. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of diabetes in HCV-infected patients, and its occurrence at early stages of hepatic disease, suggest that screening for glucose abnormalities should be indicated in these patients.