To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Title: DG DISPATCH - ISVHLD: Hepatitis C Infection Linked to Type 2 Diabetes URL: http://www.pslgroup.com/dg/1CCFE6.htm Doctor's Guide April 14, 2000
By Emma Patten Special to DG News
ATLANTA, GA -- April 14, 2000 -- Type 2 diabetes (diabetes mellitus) may be associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, according to researchers at the 10th International Symposium on Viral Hepatitis and Liver Disease (ISVHDL).
Shruti Mehta, a doctoral student at the School of Hygiene & Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD., and colleagues from the Johns Hopkins University, examined data from the third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III), conducted between 1988-1994 in the US. Of the 9,841 subjects over the age of 20 who were assessed for diabetes and HCV infection, 1,242 (8.4 percent) had diabetes (type 1 and type 2) and 230 (2.1 percent) were anti-HCV positive.
After adjusting for factors such as age, race, and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that HCV-infected subjects were four times more likely to have type 2 diabetes than those without HCV infection (adjusted odds ratio 3.77; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.80-7.87).
They found no association, however, between HCV infection and type 1 diabetes. Similarly, they found no association between hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and diabetes type 1 or 2.
Suggesting a cause for the association, Mehta told Doctor's Guide that "it might be a combination of factors that produce this association. Hepatitis C virus has been shown to replicate outside the liver and in the pancreas so it could be that HCV may be causing some concomitant beta cell dysfunction."
Mehta could not confirm whether the fact that diabetics have to inject themselves could cause HCV transmission or if HCV transmission caused beta cell dysfunction and, consequently, diabetes. "We're not sure what the mechanisms are or which condition causes which," she said.
"Providers should consider screening persons with one condition for the other since the adverse outcomes of each can be medically prevented," she added. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright © 1999 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This news story was printed from *Doctor's Guide to the Internet* located at http://www.docguide.com --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Return to News Story Page This site is maintained by webmaster@pslgroup.com Please contact us with any comments, problems or bugs. All contents Copyright (c) 1998 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved.