Association of insulin resistance, viral load, and adipokine levels with liver histology in patients with chronic hepatitis C: An observational, multicenter study in Turkey

PubMedID: 23114743OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association of insulin resistance (IR), viral load, and adipokine levels with liver histology in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this noninterventional, multicenter study carried out at 11 infectious diseases clinics in Turkey, 103 CHC patients [mean (SD) age: 50.2 (11.0) years, 60 (58.3%) women] planned to be treated by ribavirin and peginterferon-?2a were included. Data on hepatic fibrosis and steatosis, IR, viral load, and hepatitis C virus-RNA genotyping, adipokine, and cytokine levels were collected. RESULTS: The mean (SD) Knodell score was 8.1 (3.6); grade I steatosis was evident in 46 (44.7%) patients and IR was identified in 56 (54.9%). There was a significant positive correlation of the homeostasis model assessment-IR index with Knodell fibrosis (r=0.235; P=0.027) and hepatic steatosis (r=0.435; P<0.001). There was a significant positive correlation of leptin levels with Knodell fibrosis (r=0.265; P=0.013) and hepatic activity index (r=0.218; P=0.041). Hepatic steatosis was correlated negatively with adiponectin (r=-0.320; P=0.001) and positively with leptin (r=-0.368; P