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Both insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are more prevalent in patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection compared with the general population. In addition, patients with HCV and IR or T2DM often develop complications of HCV and tend to suffer adverse outcomes.
“Recent studies show that patients having both HCV and IR can develop fibrosis, steatosis, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and resistance to antiviral treatment,” wrote Imran Khan, MD, a gastroenterologist at Ali Hospital in Lahore, Pakistan.
Some research has demonstrated that treating IR in patients with HCV could lead to better outcomes. Unfortunately, current data regarding the potential benefit of treating IR as a standard part of HCV therapy is lacking.
Based on the results of this study, Khan and colleagues concluded that a greater number of patients receiving standard HCV treatment in combination with metformin achieved SVR when compared with standard HCV treatment alone or in combination with pioglitazone.