Frequency and genotype distribution of hepatitis C virus infection in patients with diabetes type 2 in Ahvaz, Iran

Manoochehr Makvandi; Azarakhsh Azaran; Shahram Jalilian; Mehdi Parsa Nahad; Behnam Azizolahi; Niloofar Neisi

doi:10.18502/ijm.v13i5.7437

Manoochehr Makvandi Diabetes Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Azarakhsh Azaran Diabetes Research Center, Health Research Institute, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Shahram Jalilian Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Mehdi Parsa Nahad Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran
Behnam Azizolahi Department of Laboratory Sciences, School of Paramedical Sciences, Dezful University of Medical Sciences, Dezful, Iran
Niloofar Neisi Department of Medical Virology, School of Medicine, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijm.v13i5.7437

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus type 2; HCV; Prevalence; Genotype

Abstract

Background and Objectives: Diabetes is recognized as a great concern and a public health problem worldwide. Several factors including environmental and genetic factors have been involved. Recently, infectious agents such as hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been reported to be associated with diabetes. Thus, this study was conducted to determine the frequency of HCV infection among patients with diabetes type 2 in Ahvaz city, Iran.

Materials and Methods: A case-control study design was conducted at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. A total of 600 study subjects were included in this research. All the patient sera were tested for Anti- HCV antibody, HBsAg, and HIV antibody. The sera of positive Anti-HCV antibody, were assayed for 5'- UTR and core regions of the HCV genome by Nested RT-PCR. Finally, the HCV genotyping was determined by sequencing.

Results: The prevalence of HCV in type 2 diabetes and nondiabetic controls was 2% and 0.33%, respectively. The distribution of HCV genotypes among the HCV-positive patients were 3a (1.66%) and 1a (0.33%).

Conclusion: To control and improve the treatment, the screening of HCV infection with anti-HCV antibody was followed by molecular techniques such as PCR and HCV genotyping which should be implemented for all patients with diabetes type 2.