Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of four groups.
| ALT/HDL-C ratio quartile | P-value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1(<7.84) | Q2(7.84-11.42) | Q3(11.42-18.07) | Q4(>18.08) | ||
| No. of subjects | 3552 | 3569 | 3559 | 3562 | |
| Age, years | 41.00 (36.00-47.00) | 42.00 (37.00-50.00) | 44.00 (37.00-52.00) | 42.00 (36.00-50.00) | <0.001 |
| Gender | <0.001 | ||||
| Female | 2970 (83.61%) | 2260 (63.32%) | 1229 (34.53%) | 381 (10.70%) | |
| Male | 582 (16.39%) | 1309 (36.68%) | 2330 (65.47%) | 3181 (89.30%) | |
| Weight, kg | 52.73 (7.67) | 56.16 (9.00) | 61.97 (10.28) | 70.17 (10.93) | <0.001 |
| Height, cm | 160.86 (7.22) | 162.90 (8.35) | 166.22 (8.59) | 169.19 (7.20) | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 20.34 (2.26) | 21.10 (2.54) | 22.36 (2.87) | 24.46 (3.13) | <0.001 |
| WC, cm | 70.37 (6.73) | 73.16 (7.43) | 77.56 (8.08) | 83.64 (8.06) | <0.001 |
| ALT, U/L | 11.00 (9.00-12.00) | 15.00 (13.00-17.00) | 19.00 (16.00-21.00) | 29.00 (24.00-38.00) | <0.001 |
| AST, U/L | 14.00 (12.00-17.00) | 16.00 (14.00-19.00) | 18.00 (15.00-21.00) | 22.00 (18.00-27.00) | <0.001 |
| GGT, U/L | 11.00 (9.00-13.00) | 13.00 (10.00-16.00) | 16.00 (13.00-21.00) | 24.00 (17.00-36.00) | <0.001 |
| HDL-C, mmol/L | 1.82 (0.37) | 1.56 (0.31) | 1.34 (0.28) | 1.12 (0.25) | <0.001 |
| TC, mmol/L | 5.06 (0.82) | 5.03 (0.85) | 5.12 (0.88) | 5.28 (0.89) | <0.001 |
| LDL-C, mmol/L | 2.73 (2.32-3.20) | 2.91 (2.46-3.39) | 3.14 (2.67-3.65) | 3.41 (2.92-3.89) | <0.001 |
| TG, mmol/L | 0.52 (0.38-0.70) | 0.61 (0.43-0.85) | 0.81 (0.56-1.14) | 1.20 (0.82-1.73) | <0.001 |
| FPG, mmol/L | 4.99 (0.39) | 5.06 (0.40) | 5.19 (0.39) | 5.35 (0.37) | <0.001 |
| HbA1c, % | 5.15 (0.30) | 5.16 (0.31) | 5.17 (0.33) | 5.22 (0.34) | <0.001 |
| SBP, mmHg | 108.51 (13.22) | 111.33 (14.27) | 115.07 (14.39) | 120.80 (14.44) | <0.001 |
| DBP, mmHg | 67.03 (9.42) | 69.21 (9.74) | 72.12 (10.05) | 76.11 (10.02) | <0.001 |
| Exercise habits | 559 (15.74%) | 654 (18.32%) | 720 (20.23%) | 535 (15.02%) | <0.001 |
| Drinking status | <0.001 | ||||
| Non or small | 3145 (88.54%) | 3032 (84.95%) | 2828 (79.46%) | 2797 (78.52%) | |
| Light | 342 (9.63%) | 389 (10.90%) | 501 (14.08%) | 522 (14.65%) | |
| Moderate | 65 (1.83%) | 148 (4.15%) | 230 (6.46%) | 243 (6.82%) | |
| Smoking status | <0.001 | ||||
| Non | 2855 (80.38%) | 2526 (70.78%) | 1897 (53.30%) | 1464 (41.10%) | |
| Past | 368 (10.36%) | 500 (14.01%) | 778 (21.86%) | 910 (25.55%) | |
| Current | 329 (9.26%) | 543 (15.21%) | 884 (24.84%) | 1188 (33.35%) | |
| MetS | 14 (0.39%) | 48 (1.34%) | 169 (4.75%) | 696 (19.54%) | <0.001 |
| NAFLD | 59 (1.66%) | 175 (4.90%) | 545 (15.31%) | 1724 (48.40%) | <0.001 |
Values were expressed as mean (standard deviation) or medians (quartile interval) or n (%). For continuous variables, we employed one-way ANOVA and the Kruskal-Wallis H test to analyze whether there were differences in means/medians among ALT/HDL-C quartile groups, thus assessing the effect of ALT/HDL-C ratio grouping. For categorical variables, we used the chi-square test to analyze whether there were differences in the frequencies (%) among ALT/HDL-C quartiles, thereby evaluating the effect of ALT/HDL-C ratio grouping.
BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transferase; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; TC, total cholesterol; LDL-C, low density lipoprotein cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; ALT/HDL-C ratio, alanine aminotransferase to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio; MetS, metabolic syndrome; NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.