Researchers have found another possible cause of the upsurge in cases of type 2 diabetes: infection with hepatitis C virus (HCV).

A multistudy analysis in the May 2006 issue of Diabetes Care identifies HCV infection in individuals age 40 years or older as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. In fact, these individuals are three times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than uninfected individuals, according to the report.

What's the link between the two? According to the researchers, insulin resistance mediated by proinflammatory cytokines appears to be the main pathogenic mechanism connecting HCV with insulin resistance. In other words, the researchers believe that insulin resistance predisposes HCV-infected individuals to developing type 2 diabetes.

Several studies have shown that individuals with type 2 diabetes are more likely to have HCV antibodies than those without the disease (the association isn't present in patients with type 1 diabetes). Also, HCV-positive individuals with chronic hepatitis have been found to have a greater likelihood of abnormal glucose levels than HCV-negative individuals with other liver diseases.

The data suggest that the prevalence of HCV is probably a contributing factor in the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes. The authors suggest screening HCV-positive patients for diabetes or prediabetes at least every 3 years.

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