News

People diagnosed with diabetes may be at increased risk for liver disease

June 21, 2010

By Patricia Nicholson

Newly diagnosed diabetes may increase the risk of serious liver disease, according to results from a new Canadian study.

Diabetes is known to increase risks for certain kidney, cardiovascular, eye and nervous system diseases, and screening for these conditions is recommended for people with diabetes.

Less is known about the impact of diabetes on the liver, but background information in the study notes recent evidence suggesting insulin resistance and diabetes may be linked to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. However, screening for liver disease is not part of the current guidelines for treating patients with diabetes.

To investigate whether patients with diabetes have an increased risk of liver problems, the researchers used Ontario health records to compare adults who were newly diagnosed with diabetes between 1994 and 2006 to a matched population of people without diabetes. They identified 438,069 new cases of diabetes, and matched each of those patients to five non-diabetic Ontarians of the same age, sex and location, resulting in a control group of 2,059,708 people. Then they looked at how many people in each group later developed liver disease.

The incidence of liver disease was almost twice as high in the diabetes group compared to the control group. After taking account of factors such as obesity, age, heart disease and high blood pressure, people in the diabetes group had a 77 per cent higher risk of developing liver disease than the control group.

The increased risk of liver disease in diabetics does not appear to be as high as the diabetes-related risks for kidney and eye disease. However, the researchers noted that while those kidney and eye conditions are serious, they may be managed with dialysis and retinal treatments. There is no treatment for managing liver failure.

The study authors concluded that more information is needed about preventing liver disease in people with diabetes, through measures such as weight loss and control of blood sugar and cholesterol. Once those mechanisms are better understood, it may be a good idea to begin screening diabetic patients for liver disease annually.

The study was published in CMAJ on June 21, 2010.

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