People with HIV are at greater risk of being diagnosed with diabetes if they have cirrhosis, although the risk is not associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfection, MD Magazine reports.

Publishing their findings in Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, researchers analyzed data on 28,699 French people with HIV in the Dat’AIDS cohort study, including 4,004 with hep C coinfection.

The cohort members were followed for an average of 12.5 years. For each cumulative 1,000 years of follow-up, 2.74 people were diagnosed with diabetes.

After adjusting the data to account for various differences among the participants, the researchers found that factors associated with an increased likelihood of being diagnosed with diabetes included getting older as well as having a body mass index over 25 (indicating being overweight), AIDS, a lowest-ever CD4 count of 200 or below, a detectable viral load and cirrhosis. Specifically, cirrhosis was associated with a 2.26-fold increased likelihood of a diabetes diagnosis.

Being on antiretroviral treatment for HIV for longer was associated with a lower risk of diabetes.

Having HCV, hepatitis B virus (HBV) and having received interferon-based hep C treatment were not associated with diabetes risk.

After conducting a subanalysis among those coinfected with HIV and HCV, the study authors found that curing hep C was also not associated with diabetes risk.

To read the study abstract, click here.