The prevalence of insulin resistance (IR) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is higher in patients with cirrhosis, compared to control patients without liver disease. The exact mechanism for this is unknown but could include liver inflammation. In this study we investigate whether cirrhosis is the primum movens of IR or if impaired insulin sensitivity is already present in non-cirrhotic patients with chronic liver diseases.

Patients were recruited and divided into three groups: control (CTL), chronic liver disease without cirrhosis (CLD) and cirrhosis (CIR). In patients not taking pharmacological treatment for T2DM, IR was quantified using the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). The proportion of patients with T2DM as well as HOMA-IR levels among different disease etiologies were recorded and compared.

532 patients were included in our study. Median glycemia and insulinemia and therefore HOMA-IR values were significantly different between the three cohorts (p-value <0.001): IR levels in CLD subjects lie between those seen in CTL and CIR subjects. The proportion of diabetic patients in the two case categories also differs (p-value = 0.027): one quarter of CLD subjects and one third of CIR patients suffer from T2DM. Finally, HOMA-IR levels vary according to disease etiology (p-value <0.001): metabolic steatosis and chronic viral hepatitis C are at greater risk than alcohol and other disease causes.

CLD is already a predisposing factor to T2DM, regardless of the presence of CIR. CIR is a factor which elicits additional increase in insulin levels. Metabolic steatosis and hepatitis C are associated with more severe IR.