Diabetes Mellitus Following Liver Transplantation in Patients With Hepatitis C Virus: Risks and Consequences

Recurrent hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection of the allograft occurs universally following liver transplantation. Longitudinal natural history studies have identified several pre- and posttransplant factors associated with more rapid fibrosis progression, including baseline host and viral factors, donor factors and posttransplant immunosuppression effects, such as metabolic syndrome. Evidence accumulated over the past two decades indicates that HCV has metabolic associations, in particular insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus. Approximately half of HCV-positive liver transplant recipients develop posttransplant diabetes mellitus (PTDM), which is associated with accelerated fibrosis progression and poorer graft and patient survival outcomes. This review summarizes the risks and consequences of insulin resistance and PTDM in HCV-positive liver transplant recipients. Risk for developing PTDM is one factor that should be considered when choosing the primary immunosuppressive regimen following liver transplantation. Comparative studies suggest that cyclosporine A-based immunosuppression may provide improved responses to antiviral therapy and reduced incidence of PTDM compared with tacrolimus-based immunosuppression. Addressing insulin resistance and PTDM in HCV-positive liver transplant recipients may have the potential to slow HCV complications and improve survival outcomes.