The effect of hepatotropic virus B and C on the degree of hyperglycemia and iron overload and the correlation between hyperglycemia and iron overload in hepatitis patients

Abstract

Aims: This study was design to evaluate the effect of hepatotropic virus’s types on the degree of hyperglycemia and iron overload and the correlation between hyperglycemia and iron overload in patients with hepatitis B and C.Methods: Fifty patients infected with hepatitis B and C virus admitted in Al-Hussein teaching hospital /Thi-Qar governorate, along with fifty healthy individual as a control group for comparison purposes. The study period was from April 2011 to July 2012.Results: Of these fifty patients 47 were male (94%) and 3 were female (6%), out of which 39 (78 %) had viral hepatitis B infection and 11 (22 %) had viral hepatitis C infection. The levels of blood glucose (209.52 ± 55.11 mg/dL) and iron (386. 65 ± 95.62 µg/dL) were significantly elevated in hepatitis patients as compare with the control group (73.22 ± 8.30 mg/dL) and (154.15 ± 11.18 µg/dL) respectively. The concentration of blood glucose was 210.39 ± 52.37 mg/dL and 195.84 ± 64.77 mg/dL in hepatitis B and C respectively, there is no significant different in blood glucose between HBV and HCV patients. The concentration of iron was 390.88 ± 114.82 µg/dL and 385.27 ± 89.87 µg/dL in hepatitis B and C respectively, there is no significant different in blood iron between HBV and HCV patients. There is a positive correlation between blood glucose and iron in hepatitis patients. Conclusion: The fifty hepatitis patients associated with severe hyperglycemia and iron overload and there is no effect of hepatotropic virus types in the severity degree of hyperglycemia and iron overload. There is a positive correlation between levels of glucose and iron. Finally, this study suggests that the liver damaged in viral infection disease is not due to the virus directly but to metabolic abnormalities, which are associated with infection such as hyperglycemia and iron overload. On other hand, hyperglycemia had a role in the severity of iron overload that is a problem because its exacerbate oxidative stress and could be the underlying mechanism connecting low rate response to antiviral therapy. So screening for glucose and iron abnormalities should be indicate in hepatitis patients and patients must be use suitable drugs before starting the antiviral therapy.