Table 3.
Characteristics of Control Patients
| Controls with no or mild abnormalities at liver histological examination (n = 21) | Alcoholic liver disease or NASH (n = 8) | Chronic hepatitis B patients (n = 18) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sex (male) | 12 (57) | 6 (75) | 14 (77) |
| Age (years) | 43 (20–68) | 45 (22–55) | 43 (22–73) |
| Serum levels at liver biopsy | |||
| AST (×ULN) | 1.0 (0.4–2.2) | 1.2 (0.8–3.0) | 1.4 (0.4–32.2) |
| ALT (×ULN) | 1.1 (0.2–3.4) | 1.0 (0.4–3.0) | 2.0 (0.5–40.5) |
| Serum γ-GT (×ULN) | 2.5 (0.3–14.7) | 1.5 (0.5–3.6) | 0.9 (0.3–5.8) |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | Not available | Not available | 4.5 (3.3–6.2) |
| Triglyceride (mmol/L) | Not available | Not available | 0.9 (0.4–1.7) |
| Histological analysis | |||
| Inflammation | Absent, n = 20; mild, n = 1 | Absent, n = 4; mild, n = 4 | Activity grade (METAVIR): |
| A0, n = 1; A1, n = 9; A2, n = 7; A3, n = 1 | |||
| Fibrosis | Absent, n = 14; portal fibrosis, n = 7 | Absent, n = 3; portal fibrosis, n = 1; septal fibrosis, n = 1; cirrhosis, n = 3 | Fibrosis stage (METAVIR): F1, n = 9; F2, n = 3; F3, n = 3; F4, n = 3 |
| Steatosis (% of hepatocytes) | 5 (0–45) | 15 (0–80) | 0 (0–70) |
Data are median (range) or frequency (%).
Fibrosis stage (METAVIR): F0 (absent), F1 (portal fibrosis), F2 (portal fibrosis with few septa), F3 (septal fibrosis), F4 (cirrhosis).
Necroinflammation grade (METAVIR): A0 (absent), A1 (mild), A2 (moderate), A3 (severe).
For ALT level, upper limit of normal is 34 IU/L in women and 45 IU/L in men. For AST level, upper limit of normal is 31 IU/L in women and 35 IU/L in men. For γ-GT level, upper limit of normal is 38 UI/L in women and 55 UI/L in men.
γ-GT, γ-glutamyl transferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ULN, upper limit of normal.