Effect of HCV treatment response on insulin resistance: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Sustained virological response (SVR) in hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients treated with pegylated interferon α-2a and ribavirin is associated with reduced insulin resistance (IR), measured as a reduction of homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) scores after 24 weeks of therapy, and reduced fasting serum insulin and serum glucose levels. The present meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the effect of HCV treatment response on IR in HCV patients who achieved SVR and those who did not (non-SVR) after receiving interferon (IFN)-based therapy. The PubMed, Cochrane and Embase databases were searched using combinations of the following search terms: ‘HCV’, ‘hepatitis C’, ‘interferon’, ‘antiviral’, ‘treatment response’ and ‘insulin resistance’. The incidence of IR, HOMA-IR and HOMA-β, as well as fasting glucose and fasting insulin levels, were summarized in terms of basal values and values after the end of treatment for each study. A total of 8 studies were included in the final analysis. There was no significant difference in the reduction in IR between the SVR and non-SVR groups (odds ratio, 0.995; 95% CI=0.613–1.616; P=0.984). However, the SVR group had a significantly higher mean reduction in HOMA-IR (difference in means=−0.485; 95%CI=−0.713 to −0.256; P<0.001) and HOMA-β (difference in means=−15.448; 95%CI=−23.326 to −7.570; P<0.001) compared to the non-SVR group. In conclusion, HCV patients who achieved SVR after IFN-based therapy exhibited improvement in HOMA-IR and HOMA-β. The present results suggest that clinical management of IR and serum glucose levels may be an important way to impact the therapeutic response in HCV patients.