Table 1.
Baseline characteristics and biochemical parameters of the study population.
| Variables | Total Population | Control Group | NAFL | NASH | NAFL vs. Control $ | NASH vs. Control $ | NASH vs. NAFL $ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N (Male) | 37 (22) | 15 (8) | 10 (6) | 12 (8) | 0.7422 | 0.4835 | 0.7462 |
| Age (years) | 54.0 (46.0–60.0) | 53.0 (41.5–55.0) | 57.0 (53.2–60.0) | 57.5 (45.8–65.5) | 0.1261 | 0.3046 | 0.9211 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.3 (24.9–31.8) | 25.3 (24.0–28.7) | 31.1 (26.6–33.0) | 31.6 (28.6–35.2) | 0.0158 * | 0.0023 ** | 0.4483 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 100 (95.0–112) | 95.0 (83.5–98.0) | 106 (97.0–118) | 111 (100–120) | 0.0105 * | 0.0030 ** | 0.6678 |
| HOMA-IR | 3.50 (1.90–6.20) | 1.90 (1.05–2.55) | 3.30 (1.92–8.00) | 6.10 (4.80–8.88) | 0.0958 | <0.0001 ** | 0.1378 |
| T2DM | 13 (35.1%) | 3 (20%) | 3 (30%) | 7 (58.3%) | 0.5663 | 0.0404 * | 0.1839 |
| Arterial hypertension | 12 (32.4%) | 3 (20%) | 4 (40%) | 5 (41.7%) | 0.2752 | 0.2205 | 0.9369 |
| Metabolic syndrome | 20 (54.1%) | 3 (20%) | 6 (60%) | 11 (91.7%) | 0.0412 * | 0.0002 ** | 0.0776 |
| NAS | 2 (0–3) | 0 | 2.5 (2–3) | 5 (4–6) | - | <0.0001 ** | <0.0001 ** |
| ALT (U/L) | 28.0 (22.0–51.0) | 20.0 (15.5–26.0) | 35.5 (23.2–50.5) | 48.5 (39.0–92.5) | 0.0211 * | 0.0001 ** | 0.1134 |
| AST (U/L) | 27.0 (20.0–39.0) | 20.0 (18.0–23.5) | 27.0 (23.8–31.0) | 43.5 (35.8–52.2) | 0.0224 * | 0.0001 ** | 0.0111 * |
| GGT (U/L) | 23.0 (13.0–54.0) | 13.0 (11.0–20.0) | 25.0 (18.5–56.2) | 52.5 (35.0–93.5) | 0.0169 * | 0.0021 ** | 0.1378 |
| ALP (U/L) | 72.0 (55.0–93.0) | 58.0 (53.5–89.0) | 77.5 (62.8–96.8) | 86.5 (64.8–94.2) | 0.1741 | 0.2040 | 0.9212 |
| Platelets(×103) (K/μL) | 226 (182–274) | 217 (206–255) | 253 (187–314) | 215 (175–251) | 0.4708 | 0.4208 | 0.3068 |
| HBA1C (%) | 5.50 (5.20–6.00) | 5.40 (5.10–5.70) | 5.50 (5.22–5.75) | 6.15 (5.72–7.02) | 0.5969 | 0.0335 * | 0.0407 * |
| FBG (mg/dl) | 96.0 (88.0–110) | 89.0 (84.5–96.5) | 94.5 (85.0–111) | 109 (94.8–134) | 0.4370 | 0.0167 * | 0.2611 |
| Insulin (μIU/mL) | 12.3 (7.40–25.8) | 9.50 (4.40–11.2) | 14.4 (7.45–31.6) | 25.4 (21.9–27.8) | 0.1492 | <0.0001 ** | 0.2913 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 185 (147–202) | 177 (155–200) | 192 (125–215) | 192 (168–200) | 0.8243 | 0.6605 | 0.8174 |
| LDL (mg/dl) | 101 (77.0–126) | 99.0 (76.0–128) | 114 (60.5–126) | 96.0 (81.0–120) | 0.7602 | 0.9611 | 1.0000 |
| HDL (mg/dl) | 50.0 (42.0–60.0) | 56.0 (53.5–64.0) | 45.5 (32.2–54.8) | 43.0 (40.8–49.2) | 0.0324 * | 0.0024 ** | 0.7659 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 116 (85.0–178) | 84.0 (60.0–100) | 128 (95.2–150) | 192 (144–283) | 0.0116 * | 0.0002 ** | 0.0478 * |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 149 (79.7–249) | 97.0 (65.2–160) | 136 (84.4–293) | 200 (140–564) | 0.1341 | 0.0104 * | 0.3068 |
| Uric acid (mg/dl) | 4.90 (4.30–5.80) | 4.80 (4.00–5.10) | 4.85 (4.70–5.92) | 5.60 (4.40–6.75) | 0.2549 | 0.0427 * | 0.4092 |
| Albumin (gr/dl) | 4.58 (4.38–4.70) | 4.60 (4.36–4.70) | 4.57 (4.51–4.68) | 4.50 (4.36–4.62) | 0.8225 | 0.5571 | 0.5521 |
Continuous variables are presented as median (25th–75th percentile). Categorical variables are presented as counts and percentage for each variable’s category. In the categorical variables, subjects are presented that have the disease. $: In the comparison between the groups, the p values were calculated using the Mann–Whitney U test for the continuous variables and the Chi2 (χ2) test for the categorical variables. *: p value < 0.05, **: p value < 0.01, statistically significant.