Prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and chronic liver disease: a retrospective study of the association of two increasingly common diseases in Mexico.

Background: Recent studies have demonstrated a relationship between insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of T2DM among patients with liver disease.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed by examining the charts of patients who presented with a diagnosis of liver disease at a university hospital between January 2006 and April 2010.

Results: Liver disease was found in 129 patients. The most prevalent liver disease was cirrhosis, with 61 patients (47.2%), 44 patients had hepatitis C virus (34.1%) and 28 patients had hepatocellular carcinoma (21.7%). T2DM was diagnosed in 30 patients, 18 of whom were male (18/60; 30%) and 12 of whom were female (12/69; 17.4%). Only liver cirrhosis was significantly related to T2DM (21 of 61 patients; 34.4%, p < 0.004).

Conclusions: The prevalence of T2DM among patients with liver disease (23.2%) is well established and similar to that reported in Western and some Eastern countries.