Self-monitoring of blood sugar fraught with risk of hepatitis B: BMJ

A group of researchers from China conducted a cross-sectional comparative study to explore the association between self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection among people with diabetes.

The researchers performed this study in six township hospitals in Gansu Province, China in October 2018. They included 408 patients with diabetes who were systematically recruited, and based on their characteristics 408 people without diabetes were randomly matched 1:1.

The intervention given was: Venous blood was collected for hepatitis B virus (HBV) serological testing and blood glucose testing.

The primary outcome was a comparison of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive rates between the two groups. The secondary outcome was the relationship between the frequency of SMBG and hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positivity.

The results of the study are as follows:

· Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive rate in people without diabetes was 2.0% and in those with diabetes was 4.2%.

· Whether in people without diabetes or patients with diabetes, a higher frequency of SMBG was associated with a higher hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) positive rate.

· Increases in the duration of diabetes were correlated with increased rates of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg).

· Compared with people without diabetes, logistic regression identified an association between diabetes and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, but impaired fasting glucose was not.

Thus, the researchers concluded that routine blood glucose monitoring at home was associated with hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, which meant people with diabetes may be at high risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. China is a country with a high prevalence of both HBsAg and diabetes, and the increased risk of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in populations with diabetes needs more attention.

Reference:

Association between self-monitoring of blood glucose and hepatitis B virus infection among people with diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study in Gansu Province, China by Han B et. al published in the BMJ journal.

doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-048463