scholarly journals Hepatitis C Virus-Infected Patients Are ‘Spared’ from the Metabolic Syndrome but Not from Insulin Resistance. A Comparative Study of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Hepatitis C Virus-Related Steatosis

2009 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 273-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amedeo Lonardo ◽  
Stefano Ballestri ◽  
Luigi E Adinolfi ◽  
Enrico Violi ◽  
Lucia Carulli ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and chronic hepatitis C feature steatosis and insulin resistance (IR), conditions associated with the metabolic syndrome (MS).OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of MS and determinants of IR in patients with NAFLD and chronic hepatitis C.METHODS: Ninety-three consecutive patients with NAFLD, 97 with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotypes 1 and 2, and 182 ‘healthy’ controls without steatosis were enrolled in the present study. The prevalence of MS was assessed by modified Adult Treatment Panel III criteria and IR by the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). IR was defined as the 75th percentile of the HOMA-IR of control subjects.RESULTS: While the prevalence of IR was similar in NAFLD and HCV-infected subjects (70.0% and 78.7%, respectively), the prevalence of MS was significantly higher in NAFLD patients than in HCV-infected patients (27.9% versus 4.1%) and in controls (5.6%). With multivariate analysis, IR was predicted by body mass index (OR 1.263; 95% CI 1.078 to 1.480) and triglyceridemia (OR 1.011; 95% CI 1.002 to 1.020) in NAFLD and by sex (OR for female sex 0.297; 95% CI 0.094 to 0.940) and fibrosis stage (OR 2.751; 95% CI 1.417 to 5.340) in chronic hepatitis C.CONCLUSIONS: IR is independently associated with body mass index and triglyceridemia in NAFLD, sex and fibrosis in chronic HCV infection, and has a higher prevalence in NAFLD and chronic hepatitis C than in controls. However, the frequency of MS in HCV-infected patients, similar to that of controls, is significantly lower than that seen in NAFLD patients. The current diagnostic criteria of MS are more likely to ‘capture’ patients with NAFLD than with chronic hepatitis C, although both groups are insulin resistant.

2003 ◽  
Vol 98 (9) ◽  
pp. 2064-2071 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun J. Sanyal ◽  
Melissa J. Contos ◽  
Richard K. Sterling ◽  
Velimir A. Luketic ◽  
Mitchell L. Shiffman ◽  
...  

2005 ◽  
Vol 90 (3) ◽  
pp. 1578-1582 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. Angelico ◽  
M. Del Ben ◽  
R. Conti ◽  
S. Francioso ◽  
K. Feole ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: An association of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease with the insulin-resistant metabolic syndrome has been suggested. The aim of the study was to assess the association of fatty liver to different degrees of insulin resistance and secretion. Methods and Results: The study was performed in 308 alcohol- and virus-negative consecutive patients attending a metabolic clinic, who underwent a complete clinical and biochemical work-up including oral glucose tolerance test and routine liver ultrasonography. Steatosis was graded as absent/mild, moderate, and severe. In nondiabetic subjects, a progressive (P < 0.05) increase in mean homeostasis model of insulin resistance was recorded from the group without steatosis to the groups with mild/moderate and severe steatosis. Severe steatosis was associated with the clustering of the five clinical and biochemical features proposed for the clinical diagnosis of the metabolic syndrome. Subjects with the metabolic syndrome with a more pronounced insulin resistance had a higher prevalence of severe steatosis (P < 0.01) compared with those with homeostasis model of insulin resistance below the median. Conclusions: The findings stress the heterogeneous presentation of patients with the metabolic syndrome when the diagnosis is based on the broad Adult Treatment Panel III clinical criteria and demonstrate that those who are more insulin resistant have a higher prevalence of severe steatosis.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document