Insulin Resistance in Patients with Chronic Hepatitis B Virus Infection: A Case-control Study

Objectives: It was aimed to compare the rate of insulin resistance (IR) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (CHB) infection with the general population. Materials and Methods: The files of the patients were retrospectively examined. Patients testing for insulin and fasting blood glucose were included. For detecting IR, Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) index was used. All patients were divided into 2 groups in terms of HOMA-IR. All data were compared between two groups. The rate of IR was compared with the general population. Results: Forty-seven were female and the mean age was 38. Seventy-one had hepatitis B e antigen (HBeAg)-negative CHB infection, 44 had CHB and 5 had HBeAg-positive CHB infection. IR was detected in 47 patients. The rates of IR were similar between females and males. The rates of IR was 38% in HBeAg negative CHB infection, 36.4% in CHB and 80% in HBeAg positive CHB infection. The rate of IR in patients with CHB infection was found to be 39% in our study. Conclusion: This study showed higher rate of IR in patients with CHB infection than in the general population and thus these patients should be carefully monitored in terms of the occurrence of IR and diabetes mellitus.