The Particulars: In previous studies, investigators have found that hepatitis C can complicate outcomes in patients with diabetes. However, little is known about the relationship between hepatitis B and diabetes.
Data Breakdown: Researchers used a national database to review patients with information on both fasting blood glucose and hepatitis B status for a study. Diabetes occurred in 1.13% of patients who received the hepatitis B vaccination, compared with a 5.67% rate for those who had not been vaccinated against hepatitis B. After multivariate adjustment, hepatitis B vaccination still had a large protective effect against diabetes (odd ratio, 0.48).
Take Home Pearls: Hepatitis B vaccination appears to prevent some patients from developing diabetes. Additional research is needed to further investigate this association.
