Chronic hepatitis C infection is associated with insulin resistance and lipid profiles

Background and Aim Chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been suggested to be associated with non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus and lipid profiles. This study aimed to investigate the possible relationships of insulin resistance (IR) and lipid profiles with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) patients in Taiwan. Methods We enrolled 160 hospital‐based CHC patients with liver biopsy and the 480 controlled individuals without CHC and chronic hepatitis B from communities without known history of non‐insulin‐dependent diabetes mellitus. Fasting plasma glucose, total cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL‐C), low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C), triglycerides (TGs), alanine aminotransferase, and serum insulin levels, and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA‐IR) were tested. Results When comparing factors between CHC patients, and sex‐ and age‐matched controls who had no HCV infection, patients with HCV infection had a significantly higher alanine aminotransferase level, fasting plasma glucose level, insulin level, and HOMA‐IR (P