Hepatitis C virus infection in Nigerians with diabetes mellitus.

Background/aims: Studies from mainly Caucasian populations have shown epidemiological evidence of an association between diabetes mellitus and Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. The aim of this study was to determine whether any such association exists in a blackAfrican population with diabetes mellitus.

Method: This was a cross sectional study of consecutive diabetic patients seen at the diabetes clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu, Nigeria between September 1, 2004 and April 30, 2005. Patients who underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy during the same period for dyspeptic symptoms were used as controls after matching for age and sex. Structured questionnaire on risk factors for HCV infection was administered to the participants. Blood test for HCV antibodies was carried out on the diabetic patients as well as the control subjects.

Results: Out of 191 diabetic patients, 27(14.1%) were HCV antibody positive compared to the control group in which 5 out of 134 (3.7%) subjects had HCV antibodies (p = 0.0046).

Conclusion: Hepatitis C virus infection is more common in Nigerian patients with diabetes mellitus than in control subjects. The nature of the association between diabetes mellitus and HCV infection remains to be elucidated.