Prevalence and risk factors of diabetes mellitus in patients with autoimmune hepatitis

Objective The administration of corticosteroids is a standard treatment for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH), but it can occasionally induce various adverse effects. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a major complication of chronic liver diseases. We investigated the prevalence and risk factors of DM in patients with AIH. Methods We retrospectively analyzed 118 Japanese patients diagnosed with AIH from 1990 to 2014 at our institution. The prognosis of patients with and without DM was also compared. Results Twenty-nine (24.5%) patients had DM and 21 (72.4%) received corticosteroids. The annual cumulative incidence rate of newly diagnosed DM was 1.2%. Multivariate analysis showed that DM occurred in older patients [OR=6.290; 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.230-32.100; p=0.018] with higher serum immunoglobulin G levels (OR=12.400; 95% CI=2.560-60.400; p=0.002). A Cox hazard regression analysis revealed that predictive factors for DM were absence of other autoimmune diseases (OR=0.171; 95% CI=0.036-0.805; p=0.025), use of corticosteroids (OR=6.693; 95% CI=1.391-32.210; p=0.049) and lower platelet counts (OR= 3.873; 95% CI=1.021-14.690; p=0.046). The 10 year survival rates of the DM and non-DM groups were 94.1% and 94.6%, respectively. There was no significant difference between these groups (p=0.293). Conclusion DM occurred in 24.5% of patients with AIH; older age, absence of other autoimmune diseases and higher serum immunoglobulin G levels are risk factors. Taking corticosteroids and a lower platelet count are risk factors for a new onset of DM. DM did not influence the prognosis of AIH patients.