The Impact of Viral Hepatitis B on Insulin Resistance in Iraqi Patients

Abstract Background: Chronic hepatitis B (CHB), which can lead to cirrhosis and liver cancer, is probably triggered due to hepatitis B virus (HBV) contagion. Even it had been given medical care, Infections with some viruses, particularly persistent infections, can harm the liver and result in insulin resistance (IR). The onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus is one of the top 10 causes of morbidity and the leading cause of mortality. Objective: In this study, we investigated the correlation between hepatitis B and IR in patients infected with HBV. Materials and Methods: A total of 203 patients, the mean age of patients with hepatitis B was 40.05 ± 14.87 years (range 14–83 years), were enrolled. A real-time PCR technique was used to investigate HBV-DNA levels with a kit provided by Roche company (Germany), and HOMA-IR (Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance) was used to calculate IR. Human insulin and blood glucose were measured using the sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method with kits provided by the Sunlong Company (China). Results: The fasting insulin and fasting blood sugar levels were higher in the patients when compared to the controls (6.73 ± 2.23 mIU/mL vs. 5.01 ± 1.83 mIU/mL and 5.49 ± 0.62 mg/dL vs. 5.45 ± 0.41 mg/dL, respectively). Likewise, HOMA-IR was higher in the patients when compared to the controls (1.71 ± 0.55 relative to 1.07 ± 0.32). Levels of HOMA-IR were significantly higher in insulin-resistant patients than insulin-sensitive patients (2.29 ± 0.17 vs. 1.44 ± 0.46, respectively). Viral load was markedly greater in IR than in insulin-sensitive patients, with a significant P value of <0.001. Conclusion: The levels of fasting blood sugar, fasting insulin, and HOMA-IR were significantly higher than usual. A high viral load of HBV is significantly associated with IR.