DIABETES MELLITUS;

Objective: To determine the prevalence of Diabetes mellitus in patients of hepatitis C virus infection. Design: Prospective andobservational study. Setting: Medical Wards at Combined Military Hospital Jhelum. Period: 1st November 2009 to 31st October 2010. Method:100 cases of HCV positive on Elisa method were inducted. All cases were segregated into different states of liver disorders and were screenedfor Blood Sugar level, for one year. So as to observe the frequency of Diabetes Mellitus among HCV positive patients. Diabetes mellitus wasconsidered to be present if patients were already on diabetes treatment or fasting or random blood sugar indicated diabetes mellitus accordingto standard criteria. Results: One hundred patients were studied. Fifty five (55 %) were males and forty five (45 %) were females. The agesranged from 15 to 71 years (Mean 44.24). Out of these 100 patients, total of 28 (28%) had diabetes mellitus. Out of 100 patients, 82 patients hadchronic hepatitis C virus infection without cirrhosis and 22 (26.4 %) of these had diabetes. Twenty two patients with chronic hepatitis C, who haddiabetes mellitus, twenty (90.9 %) were non-insulin dependent diabetics and two (9.1 %) were insulin dependent. Total of 18 patients hadcirrhosis and out of these 6 patients (33.33 %) had diabetes mellitus. Six patients with cirrhosis all had non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.Conclusions: Patient with chronic hepatitis C virus infection and cirrhosis secondary to hepatitis C virus infection have strong association withdiabetes mellitus and great majority of them are non-insulin dependent diabetics.