The link between diabetes and hepatitis C

This is an automatically translated article.

The article was professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor I Tran Quoc Vinh - Emergency Doctor - Department of Resuscitation - Emergency - Vinmec Nha Trang International General Hospital.
When you have hepatitis C, diabetes probably isn't something you think about or worry about. But in reality, these two diseases are more closely related than you think. Hepatitis C makes you more likely to develop diabetes. Conversely, if you are already diabetic, your hepatitis C will accelerate and your liver is likely to suffer more serious damage.

1. What is insulin resistance?

If you have hepatitis C , your risk factor for developing diabetes is insulin resistance .
When you eat, your body breaks food down into smaller pieces. One of those parts is glucose, which is responsible for providing energy to cells. During a meal, glucose enters your bloodstream and travels throughout your body. But they need a help or a catalyst to get glucose into every cell in your body. And that catalyst is called insulin. Insulin is like a doorman or a suitable key.
The liver acts as a glucose bank. When your blood sugar is high, like during a meal, insulin tells your liver, "Save that glucose for next time, you'll need it." And then your liver goes to storage. Next, between meals or while you're sleeping, the liver releases some of the glucose back into the bloodstream.

That's how our body works. When you have insulin resistance, your cells shut down even if insulin is somewhere around. As a result, the body makes more insulin to try to control blood sugar. And this continues over time, your body can't keep up, your blood sugar continues to rise, and you're likely to develop diabetes.
When you have hepatitis C, you are more likely to develop insulin resistance.

2. How does hepatitis C cause insulin resistance?

Since your liver helps control blood sugar, any type of liver disease can lead to insulin resistance. However, with hepatitis C, the two stick together more closely than usual. Up to half of people with hepatitis C also have insulin resistance.
Doctors don't know exactly why this process is so intense. It appears that hepatitis C can affect both the amount of insulin the body makes and its effectiveness in controlling blood sugar. But how that process happens is still unclear.

3. How does insulin resistance affect hepatitis C?

Both insulin resistance and diabetes act as a trigger for the worsening of hepatitis C, from early liver damage from the hepatitis C virus to the body's reaction to the liver and hyperglycemia. blood.
They cause scarring in the liver and cause the liver to absorb more fat than usual. When those problems build up, your liver can't function properly, which causes you to quickly experience problems like cirrhosis, liver cancer, and liver failure.
Insulin resistance can also interfere with the effectiveness of hepatitis C medications during treatment.

4. How do I know if I have insulin resistance?

The only way to know if you have insulin resistance is to have a blood test. In most cases, you won't see any signs or symptoms of insulin resistance, so there's no alternative but to get tested regularly. Because when you have hepatitis C you are more at risk, so you should get tested periodically. Daily tests typically include fasting blood sugar, HbA1C, and blood insulin levels.

5. What is the treatment?

Doctors don't have a definite answer on how to treat it, but there's a lot of research on it right now. If the hepatitis C medicine you're taking can clear the virus from your body, that's a good sign.
First, it can reduce insulin resistance and prevent diabetes. If you already have diabetes, hepatitis C can make it worse. It is like a simultaneous development in the body. So if you can get rid of hepatitis C, it could slow the progression of diabetes, like heart or kidney disease complications.
If you still have insulin resistance, it means that hepatitis C medicine is not working for you. Some of the newest hepatitis C drugs, also known as direct antivirals, are now better at preventing and treating insulin resistance in older adults.

Your doctor may also ask you to follow the same regimen of care as if you were insulin resistant, even if your test results were positive. That care regimen includes trying to balance the diet and maintaining a daily exercise and sports regimen. In addition, your doctor may also prescribe some medications to help your body use insulin better and prevent diabetes.
At Vinmec International General Hospital, we always deploy a screening package for diabetes and dyslipidemia to help detect pre-diabetes early, accurately classify diabetes type, develop a nutritional regimen, monitoring to minimize the risk and complications caused by diabetes.

Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.

Reference source: webmd.com