Researchers of this study investigated the impact of successful hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment on long-term complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, including acute coronary syndrome, end-stage renal disease, ischemic stroke, and retinopathy. Using data from the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study, 1,395 HCV-infected patients with diabetes on antidiabetic medications were followed. Among them, 723 patients (52%) received antiviral therapy, and 75% of the treated group achieved sustained virological response (SVR). After adjusting for treatment selection bias, patients with SVR had significantly lower risks of acute coronary syndrome (64% reduction), end-stage renal disease (54% reduction), ischemic stroke (66% reduction), and retinopathy (76% reduction) compared to untreated patients. These results remained consistent across subgroup analyses and sensitivity tests.

The findings highlight the benefits of HCV eradication in reducing cardiovascular, renal, and ocular complications among patients with diabetes, regardless of cirrhosis status. This underscores the importance of prioritizing HCV antiviral therapy for individuals with type 2 diabetes to mitigate the risk of these serious extrahepatic outcomes.

Reference: Li J, Gordon SC, Rupp LB, et al. Sustained virological response to hepatitis C treatment decreases the incidence of complications associated with type 2 diabetes. Aliment Pharmacol Ther. 2019;49(5):599-608. doi: 10.1111/apt.15102.