Effect of sustained virological response to treatment on the incidence of abnormal glucose values in chronic hepatitis C

Background/Aims To investigate the effect of sustained virological response (SVR) on impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or type 2 diabetes (T2DM); to assess the influence of glucose abnormalities on the SVR rate. Methods 1059 patients with chronic HCV; normal glucose (< 100 mg/dl) in 734, IFG (between 100 and 125 mg/dl) in 218, and T2DM (⩾126 mg/dl) in 107 cases, were treated with interferon plus ribavirin over 24 or 48 weeks, depending on viral genotype. Results The SVR rate was lower in patients with IFG and/or T2DM than in patients with normal glucose concentrations [143/325 (44%) vs. 432/734 (58.8%); P = 0.002]. In the follow-up, abnormal glucose concentrations were observed in 74 of 304 (24.3%) non-responders and in 49 of 430 (11.4%) sustained responders (log-rank: 13.8; P = 0.00002). Reverse stepwise logistic regression analysis identified the independent variables predictive of IFG or T2DM development as: sustained response (OR: 0.44; 95%CI = 0.20–0.97; P = 0.004) and fibrosis stage (OR: 1.46; 95%CI = 1.06–2.01; P = 0.02). Family history of DM, steatosis, gender, HCV viral load, genotype, triglycerides, cholesterol and BMI did not enter the multivariate analysis equation. Conclusions SVR reduces the risk of IFG and/or T2DM development in patients with chronic hepatitis C while altered glucose metabolism impairs sustained response to viral treatment.