Diabetes Mellitus After Liver Transplantation: Another Extrahepatic Manifestation of Hepatitis C

The aim of this study was to determine whether the prevalence of post-transplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM) was higher in liver transplant recipients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). A retrospective review of 278 recipients with HCV, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and cholestatic disease (primary biliary cirrhosis and primary sclerosing cholangitis) between 1986 and 1997 was performed. Pre-transplant diabetes was higher in the HCV group. Diabetes prevalence one year after transplantation was 37% in the HCV group, 15% in the HBV group and 5% in the cholestatic group. Multivariate analysis revealed HCV and pretransplantation diabetes as independent factors for PTDM at one and two years. Immunosuppression and ribavirin use, and rejection episodes were similar. Cumulative steroid dose was lower in the HCV group. Survival was similar in patients with and without post-transplant diabetes.