Prevalence of Type-2 diabetes in patients with hepatitis C and B virus infection in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM) in patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) and B virus (HBV) infections. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A cross-sectional study of HCV- and HBV-positive patients admitted to King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, was conducted from January 1999 to September 2000. The following data were collected and analysed: demographic data, the presence and type of DM, details of the treatment, body mass index (BMI), family history of DM, serum transaminases, thrombocytopenia, and presence of liver cirrhosis on liver biopsy. A total of 399 patients were included in the study. RESULTS: 165 (41%) were anti-HCV positive and 234 (59%) were HBsAg positive. Type-2 diabetes was present in 35 of 165 (21.2%) patients with HCV infection, and 33 of 234 (14.1%) with HBV infection. 94% of anti-HCV-positive type-2 diabetes were older than 40 years and 6% were younger, while for nondiabetics the corresponding percentages were 55 and 45%, respectively. 76% of HBsAg-positive type-2 diabetics were older than 40 and 24% were younger, while the corresponding percentages for nondiabetics were 27 and 73%, respectively. Anti-HCV-positive type-2 diabetics, when compared to nondiabetics, had a higher BMI, a frequent family history of DM, elevated serum transminases, thrombocytopenia, and liver cirrhosis on biopsy. HBsAg-positive type-2 diabetics had only a more frequent family history of DM than did nondiabetics. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that type-2 diabetes is more common in patients with an HCV than with an HBV infection.

Low aspirin use in diabetics.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the percentage of adult diabetics with cardiovascular disease, or risk factors for cardiovascular disease who are using aspirin, and to report on any differences between males and females, or Saudis and non-Saudis. METHODS: Medical records of diabetics seen at King Abdulaziz University Hospital during the period January 1998 through to December 2000 were analyzed. The following data were collected: patients age, sex, nationality, body mass index, duration of diabetes, history of cardiovascular disease, risk factors for cardiovascular disease (hypertension, hyperlipidemia, obesity, smoking, family history of ischemic heart disease) and aspirin use. RESULTS: A total of 550 patients were studied with a mean age of 53 years and male: female ratio 1.1:1. Saudis constitute 260/550 (47%) of the study group. In patients with cardiovascular disease 110/174 (63%) were using aspirin versus 64/174 (37%) (p 0.001). In patients with one or more risk factors for cardiovascular disease but no cardiovascular disease, aspirin was used in 27/223 (12%) versus 195/223 (88%) (p 0.0001). Aspirin was used by 85/291 (29%) male versus 56/259 (22%) females (p 0.2). Sixty-three of 260 (24%) Saudis used aspirin versus 77/290 (27%) non-Saudis (p 0.7). CONCLUSION: Aspirin use is low in diabetics with cardiovascular disease and one or more risk factor of cardiovascular disease, with no significant difference between males and females, or Saudis and non-Saudis. Physicians should be encouraged to use aspirin more in diabetics for both primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease.