Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of the study population and comparison between the study groups.
| Parameters | Total Population | Control (n = 6) |
NAFL (n = 5) | NASH (n = 7) |
p-Value Control-NAFL | p-Value Control-NASH | p-Value NAFL-NASH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics and clinical characteristics | |||||||
| Gender (Male) | 8 (44.4%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (37.5%) | 5 (62.5%) | 0.1380 | 0.0413 | 0.9999 |
| Age (years) | 54 ± 10 | 49 ± 10 | 57 ± 8 | 56 ± 11 | 0.7055 | 0.7925 | 0.9999 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.3 ± 4.9 | 25.7 ± 5.3 | 28.9 ± 4.4 | 32.2 ± 3.5 | 0.8113 | 0.0657 | 0.6061 |
| Diabetes Mellitus | 7 (38.8%) | 1 (14.2%) | 1 (14.2%) | 5 (71.6%) | 0.9999 | 0.2396 | 0.2396 |
| Arterial Hypertension | 8 (44.4%) | 1 (12.5%) | 3 (37.5%) | 4 (50.0%) | 0.7192 | 0.7152 | 0.9999 |
| Metabolic Syndrome | 9 (50.0%) | 1 (11.1%) | 2 (22.2%) | 6 (66.7%) | 0.9999 | 0.0788 | 0.3178 |
| Waist Circumference (cm) | 104 ± 17.6 | 89.2 ± 13.9 | 105 ± 18 | 115 ± 11.9 | 0.3172 | 0.0212 | 0.6604 |
| HOMA-IR | 3.50 ± 4.70 | 1.70 ± 1.00 | 1.90 ± 1.30 | 8.80 ± 4.70 | 0.9999 | 0.0134 | 0.0108 |
| Biochemical parameters | |||||||
| ALT (U/L) | 26.0 ± 45.1 | 26.0 ± 16.8 | 23.0 ± 10.0 | 53.0 ± 58.9 | 0.9999 | 0.1284 | 0.1089 |
| AST (U/L) | 28.0 ± 30.5 | 22.0 ± 10.1 | 23.0 ± 4.10 | 46.0 ± 39.1 | 0.9999 | 0.0270 | 0.0146 |
| GGT (U/L) | 28.0 ± 185 | 12.0 ± 21.8 | 20.0 ± 5.80 | 79.0 ± 269 | 0.9999 | 0.1187 | 0.2563 |
| ALP (U/L) | 78.7 ± 29.8 | 84.4 ± 30.2 | 66.2 ± 22.4 | 83.5 ± 35.2 | 0.6246 | 0.9988 | 0.6071 |
| Insulin (μLU/mL) | 16.2 ± 10.3 | 8.80± 5.60 | 8.80 ± 5.80 | 26.7 ± 4.30 | 0.9999 | 0.0001 | 0.0001 |
| Platelets (×103) (K/μL) | 224 ± 75.8 | 268 ± 93.3 | 218 ± 72.4 | 197 ± 59.7 | 0.5553 | 0.2664 | 0.8779 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.60 ± 1.70 | 5.40 ± 0.40 | 5.40 ± 0.30 | 6.90 ± 2.30 | 0.9999 | 0.2246 | 0.1109 |
| FBG (mg/dL) | 91.0 ± 49.6 | 89.0 ± 15.8 | 83.0 ± 18.5 | 110 ± 69.0 | 0.9999 | 0.6740 | 0.4691 |
| Total Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 185 ± 48.9 | 195 ± 34.9 | 155 ± 53.5 | 200 ± 50.5 | 0.5880 | 0.9999 | 0.3742 |
| LDL-c (mg/dL) | 103 ± 37.4 | 116 ± 37.4 | 86.6 ± 44.0 | 106 ± 33.5 | 0.6918 | 0.9999 | 0.9999 |
| HDL-c (mg/dL) | 51.1 ± 13.9 | 62.2 ± 17.3 | 45.2 ± 11.6 | 47.4 ± 8.8 | 0.1525 | 0.1942 | 0.9999 |
| Total Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 124 ± 144 | 86.0 ± 25.6 | 124 ± 30.3 | 213 ± 179 | 0.9999 | 0.0128 | 0.1686 |
| Ferritin (ng/mL) | 165 ± 320 | 76.0 ± 20.2 | 171 ± 100 | 218 ± 446 | 0.3986 | 0.0660 | 0.9999 |
| Uric Acid (mg/dL) | 5.24 ± 1.5 | 4.10 ± 1.1 | 4.86 ± 0.80 | 6.33 ± 1.40 | 0.9334 | 0.0149 | 0.1370 |
| Albumin (gr/dL) | 4.43 ± 0.30 | 4.52 ± 0.20 | 4.44 ± 0.44 | 4.34 ± 0.22 | 0.9019 | 0.5815 | 0.8517 |
| Histological characteristics and scores in liver biopsies | |||||||
| NAS | 2.0 ± 2.40 | 0 ± 0 | 2.0 ± 0.44 | 5.0 ± 0.75 | 0.3266 | 0.0004 | 0.1131 |
| NFS | −1.3 ± 1.9 | −2.1 ± 1.8 | −1.4 ± 1.9 | −0.3 ± 1.4 | 0.5721 | 0.0761 | 0.9797 |
| FIB-4 | 1.3 ± 0.7 | 0.9 ± 0.5 | 1.2 ± 0.7 | 2.3 ± 0.6 | 0.619 | 0.0295 | 0.428 |
| Steatosis | 1.0 ± 1.0 | 0 ± 0 | 1.0 ± 0 | 2.0 ± 0.5 | 0.3108 | 0.0003 | 0.1047 |
| Balloning | 0 ± 0.8 | 0 ± 0 | 0 ± 0 | 1.0 ± 0.5 | 0.9999 | 0.0034 | 0.0034 |
| Inflammation | 1 ± 0.8 | 0 ± 0 | 1.0 ± 0.4 | 2.0 ± 0.5 | 0.2459 | 0.0015 | 0.3254 |
| Fibrosis | 0 ± 1.4 | 0 ± 0 | 0 ± 0.4 | 2.0 ± 1.6 | 0.9999 | 0.012 | 0.0514 |
Continuous variables are presented as medians ± SD. Categorical parameters are presented as counts (N) and percentage (N%) for each parameter’s category. A one-way ANOVA and Kruskal–Wallis tests were conducted for normally and non-normally distributed continuous parameters, respectively, while Chi square (χ2) test was conducted for the categorical variables, in order to assess the statistical significance of the comparison between the two distinct NAFLD groups and controls. The threshold for statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Abbreviations: BMI: Body Mass Index, HDL-c: high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, LDL-c: low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, ALT: alanine transaminase, AST: aspartate aminotransferase, GGT: gamma-glutamyl transferase, ALP: alkaline phosphatase, FBG: fasting plasma glucose, NAS: NAFLD Activity Score, NFS: NAFLD Fibrosis Score; FIB-4: Fibrosis-4. p values of the statistically significant parameters are bolded.