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Low prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection in Greek diabetic patients
A Sotiropoulos1, T A Peppas, E Skliros
1Third Department of Medicine, General Hospital of Nikaea, Piraeus, Greece.
Insights
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevalence was low (1.65%) in Greek diabetic patients, with elevated aminotransferase levels being the only significant correlation. Further research is needed to confirm HCV infection risk in this population.
Area of Science:
- Hepatology
- Endocrinology
- Infectious Diseases
Background:
- Previous reports suggest a high prevalence of Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) in diabetic patients, particularly those with elevated aminotransferase levels.
- Understanding the interplay between diabetes mellitus (DM) and HCV is crucial for patient management and public health strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of HCV infection among Greek patients diagnosed with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus.
- To investigate potential correlations between HCV infection and diabetes-related factors, including glycemic control, obesity, and aminotransferase levels.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 423 diabetic patients (183 male, 240 female, mean age 63) was screened for HCV antibodies.
- Patients were stratified based on aminotransferase values (normal or elevated).
- Epidemiological data, diabetes history, and treatment details were recorded. Statistical analysis included Student's t-test and chi-square tests.
Main Results:
- The overall prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies in the study population was 1.65% (7 out of 423 patients).
- No significant correlation was found between HCV infection and diabetes type, duration, treatment, BMI, or HbA1c levels.
- Elevated aminotransferase levels (P<0.01) and a history of previous transfusion (P<0.001) were significantly associated with HCV infection.
Conclusions:
- While a hypothesis of increased HCV risk in diabetic patients persists, the observed prevalence in this Greek cohort was notably low.
- Further multicenter studies are warranted to accurately estimate HCV prevalence in diabetic populations.
- The potential direct impact of HCV on diabetes development requires additional investigation.
Aim:
To assess the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) among Greek patients with Type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), in view of the previous reports of high prevalence, particularly in patients with elevated aminotransferase.
Methods:
We checked 423diabetic patients (183 male, 240 female, mean age: 63 years) attending our unit, recording epidemiology data, diabetes history, treatment and classification. Patients were stratified by aminotransferase values (normal or elevated). HCV screening was performed using standard techniques. Statistical analysis was done by using the Student's t-test for continuous variables and chi-square (chi2) for categorical data.
Results:
Antibodies against HCV (anti-HCV) were detected in seven out of 423 diabetic patients (prevalence 1.65%). There was no correlation between HCV titre and diabetes type, duration, treatment, obesity (body mass index, BMI) or glycaemic control (HbA1c). The only correlation was elevated aminotransferase values (P<0.01) Among the established risk factors for HCV transmission, only history of previous transfusion was significant (P < 0.001).
Conclusions:
It remains a strong hypothesis that diabetic patients are at increased HCV infection risk, yet our findings in Greek diabetic patients were rather low. Further studies, possibly multicentre, are needed to estimate prevalence and address the question of whether a direct effect of HCV in diabetes development does actually exist.