TABLE 1.
Demographic, biochemical, and histological characteristics of patients with biopsy-confirmed NAFLD (n = 550), stratified by increasing stages of liver fibrosis
| Characteristics | F0 (n = 145) | F1 (n = 273) | F2–4 (n = 132) | p-value | p-value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | |||||
| Age (years) | 42.34 ± 12.26 | 42.82 ± 12.07 | 43.45 ± 13.28 | 0.900 | 0.949 |
| Male sex, n (%) | 104 (72%) | 203 (74%) | 89 (67%) | 0.345 | 0.345 |
| Height (cm) | 167.14 ± 8.44 | 167.63 ± 8.24 | 166.58 ± 9.34 | 0.607 | 0.763 |
| Weight (kg) | 72.11 ± 12.28 | 75.86 ± 13.24 | 76.29 ± 14.89 | 1.66E-02 | 5.00E-02 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.68 ± 2.96 | 26.88 ± 3.61 | 27.4 ± 4.46 | 2.84E-04 | 1.80E-03 |
| WC (cm) | 89.1 ± 7.91 | 92.08 ± 8.42 | 93.75 ± 9.49 | 2.30E-05 | 3.00E-04 |
| SBP (mm Hg) | 125.43 ± 16.16 | 128.83 ± 14.95 | 128.27 ± 16.74 | 0.127 | 0.291 |
| DBP (mm Hg) | 77.68 ± 10.07 | 83.07 ± 9.98 | 81.43 ± 10.82 | 2.37E-06 | 4.60E-05 |
| Obesity, n (%) | 101 (70%) | 219 (80%) | 111 (84%) | 8.25E-03 | 1.40E-02 |
| Type 2 diabetes, n (%) | 51 (35%) | 126 (46%) | 72 (55%) | 4.90E-03 | 1.20E-02 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 73 (50%) | 178 (65%) | 81 (61%) | 1.22E-02 | 1.50E-02 |
| MetS, n (%) | 80 (55%) | 194 (71%) | 103 (78%) | 1.04E-04 | 5.20E-04 |
| Biochemical parameters | |||||
| ALT (U/L) | 63.9 ± 92.88 | 73.35 ± 61.25 | 73.46 ± 67.85 | 4.11E-03 | 1.80E-02 |
| AST (U/L) | 41.36 ± 44.45 | 45.26 ± 32.7 | 49.6 ± 36.93 | 5.52E-03 | 2.20E-02 |
| ALP (U/L) | 89.06 ± 44.86 | 86.33 ± 27.22 | 85.7 ± 36.78 | 0.806 | 0.916 |
| GGT (U/L) | 71.48 ± 97.04 | 70.55 ± 59.48 | 78.49 ± 100.94 | 0.221 | 0.384 |
| TBIL (μmol/L) | 14.74 ± 12.04 | 14.14 ± 7.09 | 14.04 ± 6.7 | 0.951 | 0.951 |
| DBIL (μmol/L) | 5.83 ± 9.35 | 4.8 ± 2.35 | 4.87 ± 2.2 | 0.332 | 0.498 |
| IBIL (μmol/L) | 8.92 ± 4.44 | 9.34 ± 5.03 | 9.16 ± 4.91 | 0.547 | 0.711 |
| Total protein (g/L) | 76.83 ± 5.42 | 76.85 ± 5.87 | 76.93 ± 5.58 | 0.83 | 0.916 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 45.97 ± 3.85 | 45.79 ± 4.29 | 45.55 ± 4.22 | 0.943 | 0.951 |
| Globulin (g/L) | 31 ± 4.1 | 30.95 ± 3.82 | 31.38 ± 4.15 | 0.473 | 0.659 |
| A/G ratio | 1.51 ± 0.24 | 1.5 ± 0.21 | 1.48 ± 0.26 | 0.469 | 0.659 |
| Glucose (mmol/L) | 5.67 ± 1.86 | 5.82 ± 1.57 | 6.01 ± 1.94 | 0.072 | 0.186 |
| Insulin (pmol/L) | 121.34 ± 125.77 | 125.76 ± 109.18 | 136.71 ± 119.09 | 0.181 | 0.371 |
| HOMA-IR score | 4.94 ± 7.79 | 5.04 ± 6.35 | 5.4 ± 5.5 | 3.62E-02 | 0.101 |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.07 ± 1.75 | 6.25 ± 1.52 | 6.57 ± 1.51 | 6.28E-04 | 3.50E-03 |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 67.77 ± 14.53 | 67.73 ± 13.91 | 65.86 ± 15.91 | 0.158 | 0.343 |
| Uric acid (μmol/L) | 384.57 ± 101.22 | 388.24 ± 101.55 | 381.17 ± 111.2 | 0.771 | 0.916 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 5.12 ± 1.15 | 5.15 ± 1.17 | 5.15 ± 1.27 | 0.846 | 0.916 |
| Triglycerides (mmol/L) | 2.31 ± 1.69 | 2.21 ± 1.33 | 2.51 ± 2.92 | 0.821 | 0.916 |
| HDL-c (mmol/L) | 1.04 ± 0.24 | 1.01 ± 0.22 | 1 ± 0.24 | 0.296 | 0.482 |
| LDL-c (mmol/L) | 3.1 ± 0.9 | 3.03 ± 0.89 | 2.99 ± 1.02 | 0.499 | 0.671 |
| WBC (×109/L) | 5.92 ± 1.35 | 6.27 ± 1.53 | 6.47 ± 1.76 | 1.40E-02 | 5.00E-02 |
| RBC (×109/L) | 4.96 ± 0.49 | 4.97 ± 0.51 | 4.89 ± 0.56 | 0.226 | 0.384 |
| Hb (g/L) | 146.52 ± 14.63 | 149.53 ± 14.21 | 145.06 ± 16.29 | 1.55E-02 | 5.00E-02 |
| PLT (×109/L) | 248.37 ± 63.88 | 240.21 ± 59.46 | 252.42 ± 66.12 | 0.207 | 0.384 |
| Liver histology features | |||||
| Steatosis, n (%) | |||||
| 0 | 43 (30%) | 42 (15%) | 17 (13%) | 4.26E-05 | 4.10E-04 |
| 1 | 51 (35%) | 85 (31%) | 37 (28%) | ||
| 2 | 19 (13%) | 56 (21%) | 31 (23%) | ||
| 3 | 32 (22%) | 90 (33%) | 47 (36%) | ||
| Ballooning, n (%) | |||||
| 0 | 0:21 (14%) | 64 (23%) | 20 (15%) | 0.203 | 0.384 |
| 1 | 80 (55%) | 134 (49%) | 74 (56%) | ||
| 2 | 44 (30%) | 75 (27%) | 38 (29%) | ||
| Lobular inflammation, n (%) | |||||
| 0 | 19 (13%) | 14 (5%) | 2 (2%) | 2.55E-07 | 1.00E-05 |
| 1 | 112 (77%) | 200 (73%) | 89 (67%) | ||
| 2 | 13 (9%) | 56 (21%) | 37 (28%) | ||
| 3 | 1 (1%) | 3 (1%) | 4 (3%) | ||
| NAS score | 3.41 ± 1.65 | 3.93 ± 1.78 | 4.28 ± 1.59 | 7.72E-05 | 6.00E-04 |
| Non-invasive fibrosis scores | |||||
| FIB-4 | 14.73 ± 6.63 | 14.99 ± 6.86 | 17.33 ± 10.53 | 0.325 | 0.498 |
| NFS | 0.55 ± 1.41 | 0.76 ± 1.38 | 0.95 ± 1.68 | 0.076 | 0.186 |
| HFS | 0.06 ± 0.09 | 0.09 ± 0.12 | 0.12 ± 0.18 | 3.00E-03 | 1.50E-02 |
Note: p-values are assessed by parametric or non-parametric tests among three groups. p < 0.05 is highlighted in bold.
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; MetS, metabolic syndrome; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; GGT, γ-glutamyltransferase; TBIL, total bilirubin; DBIL, direct bilirubin; IBIL, indirect bilirubin; A/G, the ratio of albumin to globulin; HOMA-IR, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance; HbA1c, haemoglobin A1c; HDL-c, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; WBC, white blood cell count; RBC, red blood cell count; Hb, haemoglobin; PLT, counts of platelet; S, steatosis; B, ballooning; L, lobular inflammation; FIB-4, Fibrosis-4 index; NFS, NAFLD Fibrosis Score; HFS, Hepatic Fibrosis Score.
p-values assessed by the Benjamini–Hochberg procedure after multiple testing corrections.