Risk of Diabetes after Hepatitis B or C Infection in Korea, 2002-2013: A Population-Based Cohort Study = Risk of Diabetes after Hepatitis B or C Infection in Korea, 2002-2013: A Population-Based Cohort Study

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Aims: While the association between hepatitis C virus infection and diabetes is established, the association between hepatitis B virus infection and diabetes is still unclear. We assess the association between hepatitis B and C virus infections and diabetes development using population-based cohort data.
Methods: Data from the National Health Insurance Service―National Sample Cohort, which consists of 514,791 persons aged 40-79 years, representing approximately 10% of the Korean adult population, who had a health check-up between 2002 and 2003, were used. Adults with hepatitis B or C virus infection during 2002-2003, without a prior history of diabetes, were selected as subjects.
Results: The cumulative incidences, incidence rates, and hazard ratios of diabetes were highest in the co-infection group, followed by those of hepatitis C, hepatitis B, and the non-infection groups. The cumulative incidence of 12 years was 43.5% in the co-infected, 30.4% in hepatitis C-, 22% in hepatitis B-, and 16.0% in the non-infected groups. The incidence rates per 1,000 person-years were 238.5, 221.9, 172.2, and 145.0 for the co-infected, hepatitis C virus-infected, hepatitis B virus -infected, and non-infected groups, respectively. The risk factor-adjusted hazard ratios for diabetes development were 1.90, 1.62, and 1.41 for the co-infected, hepatitis C virus infected, and hepatitis B virus infected groups, respectively.
Conclusions: The study findings suggest that diabetes is associated with both hepatitis C and B virus infections. Thus, it is important to prevent, screen for, and treat hepatitis B and C virus infections to reduce the risk of diabetes.