Patients who have been diagnosed with hepatitis C may be more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study published in the journal Gastroenterology.
A blood-born disease, hepatitis C spreads through unprotected sexual intercourse or the use of injection drugs and causes liver damage. If people dont receive treatments for this disease, they can suffer from liver cancer or failure of the organ, which can result in death.
During the study, a team of investigators monitored a total of 29 patients with hepatitis C who showed signs of insulin resistance, a symptom of diabetes.
The results of the trial showed that 15 of the participants experienced insulin complications in their muscle tissue compared to the liver. The inability to properly absorb the sugar created high levels of the nutrient in the blood, which could lead to developing diabetes.
“At this stage, it is helpful for people with hepatitis C to understand insulin resistance and what it can mean for them,” said Don Chisholm, co-author of the study. He added that “if they have relatives with type 2 diabetes, they will be genetically prone to developing it themselves and so would be advised to manage their diets very carefully and get plenty of exerciseto slow onset.”
As of 2007, an estimated 17,000 new cases of hepatitis C are diagnosed in the United States each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).