Glucose

Glucose is also called "blood sugar." It comes from the breakdown of foods and from production of glucose by the liver.

When the glucose (or blood sugar) level is higher than normal, this is known as "hyperglycemia." Patients whose fasting glucose levels are higher than 126 mg/dL are considered to have diabetes mellitus. Patients who have hepatitis C and have diabetes mellitus may have a more difficult time controlling their glucose while receiving interferon treatment.

• Most people who have a family history of diabetes, are overweight, or are older than 50 should have a fasting glucose level checked by their doctor.
• If you develop diabetes, it is not necessarily related to your hepatitis C.
• If you already have diabetes, it is very important to work to get your glucose levels well controlled. Poorly controlled diabetes can lead to "fatty liver" in addition to the hepatitis C infection of the liver.
• Fatty liver and hepatitis C together can make liver disease much worse.