Prevalence of diabetes mellitus and impaired glucose tolerance in beta-thalassemia patients with and without hepatitis C virus infection.

The prevalence of diabetes in adult thalassemic patients is significantly increased by HCV infection, but there is no difference between HCV(+) group and HCV(-) group in age range of 8-15 years. It is probable that the existence of hemosiderosis makes the effect of HCV infection on glucose metabolism clinically more evident.