Incidence of Type 2 Diabetes in Patients With Chronic Hepatitis C Receiving Interferon-Based therapy.

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) has been associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection as an independent risk factor. The increased insulin resistance induced by the HCV core protein or the treatment with interferon-based therapy (IBT) may have a role (1). It is generally agreed that IBT for patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) may trigger short-term insulin resistance. However, the long-term risk of developing T2D for CHC patients with IBT remains unclear. Studies suggested that if viral clearance is achieved after IBT, the risk of T2D might be reduced by two-thirds in CHC patients (2,3). An Italian study argued that a lower insulin resistance at baseline may be the reason for reduced risk of T2D (4). We therefore conducted a retrospective cohort study, using insurance claims data of Taiwan, to examine 1 ) whether CHC patients are at an elevated risk of developing T2D and 2 ) whether CHC patients receiving IBT are at a reduced risk of T2D, not only through viral clearance but also through possible alterations of glucose metabolism. The health insurance of Taiwan is a universal insurance system with 99% of all 23 million residents covered. We used a subset of claims data of 1 million beneficiaries randomly selected from all residents to …