OBJECTIVETo investigate the factors associated with insulin resistance (IR) in patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection.

METHODSSixty-eight patients with mild chronic hepatitis B (MCHB) caused by HBV were recruited for study. Sixty-seven healthy individuals with no hepatitis virus infections and normal liver function were enrolled as controls. Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and blood biochemical parameters were compared between the two groups. IR was determined by the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). The MCHB group was further divided into patients with IR (HOMA-IR: > 2.7) and patients without IR (HOMA-IR: less than 2.7). Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and blood biochemical parameters were compared between the two sub-groups. Finally, the potential factors associated with IR were evaluated.

RESULTSCompared to the healthy controls, the MCHB patients had significantly higher serum insulin (Z = -5.451, P less than 0.01), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (Z = -8.211, P less than 0.01) and HOMA-IR (Z = -5.631, P less than 0.01). IR was detected in 44.12% (30/68) of the MCHB patients. The levels of ALT and body mass index (BMI) were significantly different between the MCHB patients with IR and without IR (t = -2.358, and t = -3.566, P less than 0.05). There was a significant correlation between BMI, ALT, and HOMA-IR in the MCHB patients (r = 0.374, r = 0.282, P less than 0.05), but not with the HBV DNA loads (r = 0.015, P = 0.904). Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that BMI [Exp(B): 1.859, P less than 0.01] and ALT [Exp(B): 1.022, P less than 0.05] were independent risk factors of IR in MCHB.

CONCLUSIONThere is a high prevalence of insulin resistance in patients with mild hepatitis caused by chronic HBV infection. In these patients, IR is correlated with abnormal liver function and BMI, and not HBV load.