Metabolic disorders associated with chronic hepatitis C: impact of genotype and ethnicity

Liver International
Volume 30 Issue 8, Pages 1131 - 1136
Published Online: 9 Jun 2010
© 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S

CLINICAL STUDIES

Thomas Sersté 1,2 , Marcel Nkuize 1 , Rami Moucari 2 , Marc Van Gossum 1 , Marijke Reynders 3 , Robert Scheen 3 , Françoise Vertongen 4 , Michel Buset 1 , Jean Pierre Mulkay 1 and Patrick Marcellin 2

1 Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
2 AP-HP, Hôpital Beaujon, Service d'Hépatologie, Clichy, France
3 Microbiologie, Biologie Moléculaire, Hôpital Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
4 Biochimie, Hôpital Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium

Correspondence
Thomas Sersté, Hépato-Gastroentérologie, Hôpital Saint-Pierre, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgique.
Tel: +322 535 4109
Fax: +322 535 4135
e-mail: thomas.serste@skynet.be

KEYWORDS
chronic hepatitis C • ethnicity • genotype • insulin resistance

ABSTRACT

Background & aim: Patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, especially those with genotypes 1 and 4, have an increased risk of developing metabolic disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the associations among metabolic disorders, ethnicity and genotype in a large cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC).

Patients and Methods: All consecutive patients with CHC who were seen in our hepato-gastroenterology unit between January 2002 and September 2008 were included. Demographical data and variables related to the metabolic syndrome were collected. Insulin resistance was assessed using the homeostasis model for the assessment of insulin resistance test (HOMA-IR) test.

Results: Among the 454 CHC patients, the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome was 12.4%. The HOMA-IR test was performed in 140 patients, and 35.0% had insulin resistance. There were more Black Africans among the patients with genotypes 1/4 than among those with genotypes 2/3 (32.0 vs 1.2%, P<0.0001). Insulin resistance was more common in patients with genotypes 1/4 than in those with genotypes 2/3 (17 vs 1.7%, P=0.0001 and 43.3 vs 16.3%, P=0.001, respectively). Genotypes 1/4 were more frequently present in patients with insulin resistance than in those without insulin resistance (85.7 vs 60.5%, P=0.001). By logistic regression, genotypes 1/4 [odds ratio (OR)=2.79; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.09–7.12, P=0.032] and older age (OR=1.03; 95% CI: 1.004–1.06, P=0.024) were independently associated with the presence of insulin resistance.

Conclusions: In CHC, insulin resistance is independently associated with the presence of genotypes 1/4. Ethnicity is not independently associated with metabolic disorders in patients with CHC.
Received 12 December 2009
Accepted 11 May 2010

DIGITAL OBJECT IDENTIFIER (DOI)
10.1111/j.1478-3231.2010.02291.x About DOI
 
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