Table 2.

Clinical characteristics and laboratory values at the initial visit of patients with and without alkaline phosphatase normalization. Significantly different P values are noted in bold. Alkaline phosphatase results are shown as a ratio compared to upper limit of normal range for each assay. Normal ranges for laboratory values were: aspartate aminotransferase 8-48 U/L, total bilirubin 0.1-1 mg/dL, international normalized ratio 0.9-1.2 and albumin 3.5-5 g/dL.

	Normalized		Persistently abnormal		P values
	n = 35		n = 52
Male sex, n (%)	25	( 71 )	39	( 75 )	0.7
Follow-up years*	8.3	(6.8 - 9.6)	6.8	(3.4 - 8.6)
Age at diagnosis*	43	(33 - 51)	45	(33 - 52)	0.98
Symptomatic at diagnosis, n (%)	18	( 51 )	19	( 37 )	0.16
Inflammatory bowel disease, n (%)	28	( 80 )	38	( 73 )	0.45
Biopsy at diagnosis, n (%)	26	( 74 )	39	( 75 )	0.94
Biopsy stage*	1	(1- 2)	2	(2 - 3)	<0.01
Laboratory values:
Alkaline phosphatase (ULN ratio)*	2	(1.1 - 3.2)	3.4	(2.4 - 5)	<0.01
AST (U/L)*	47	(33 - 100)	102	(60 - 140)	<0.01
Total bilirubin (mg/dL)*	0.8	(0.6 - 1.5)	1.2	(0.8 - 2.2)	0.04
INR*	1	(0.9 - 1)	1	(0.9 - 1.1)	0.41
Albumin (g/dL)*	4.1	(3.8 - 4.4)	3.9	(3.6 - 4.2)	0.13
Initial MELD score*	8	(6 - 9)	8	(7 - 11)	0.16
Initial Mayo risk score*	0	(0 - 0.4)	0.41	(0 - 1.07)	<0.01
Treated with UDCA, n (%)	18	( 51 )	29	( 56 )	0.69
Treated with high dose UDCA#, n (%)	5	( 14 )	7	( 13 )	0.78
Treated with stricture dilatation, n (%)	15	( 43 )	30	( 58 )	0.17

AST, aspartate aminotransferase; INR, international normalized ratio; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease; UDCA, ursodeoxycholic acid; ULN, upper limit of normal.

^*Median with inter-quartile range included parenthetically.

^#High dose UDCA was dosing greater than 25 mg/kg.