Can Liver Damage Lead to Diabetes?

Liver damage, as measured by abnormal levels of the liver enzyme ALT, might boost the risk for type II diabetes among HIV-positive adults, U.S. researchers note in the December 1 issue of Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes. High body weight relative to height and genetic factors'including having diabetic relatives'also were linked with the development of the disease. The researchers studied the records of HIV patients receiving care between 1991 and 2000 at two New York clinics. They discovered that patients who developed diabetes had significantly higher ALT levels than those who did not during the course of the study. Doctors should closely monitor HIV patients with elevated liver enzyme levels for early signs of the onset of diabetes, the researchers conclude. Careful monitoring also should be given to overweight patients and those with a family history of the disease.