Table 4.
Characteristics of 185 Hepatitis C Virus–Positive Patients Who Underwent Liver Biopsy, Staged by Ishak Fibrosis Score
| Characteristic | Score |
P | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3–6 | ||
| Patients (no. [%]) | 61 (33) | 64 (35) | 33 (18) | 27 (15) | |
| Age at infection, mean (years)a | 19.3 | 21.7 | 21.4 | 24.5 | .037 |
| Age at initial biopsy, mean (years) | 40.4 | 43.3 | 43.3 | 45.4 | .009 |
| Duration of infection, mean (years)a | 23.9 | 25.9 | 24.5 | 24.0 | .555 |
| Sex | |||||
| Male | 26 (28) | 33 (35) | 21 (22) | 14 (15) | .284 |
| Female | 35 (39) | 31 (34) | 12 (13) | 13 (14) | |
| Race | |||||
| White | 55 (34) | 53 (33) | 31 (19) | 23 (14) | .221 |
| African American | 5 (25) | 10 (50) | 1 (5) | 4 (20) | |
| Alcohol consumption (no. drinks/week) | |||||
| Current use | 5 | 7.1 | 6 | 6.5 | .993 |
| Peak use | 16 | 25.1 | 39.2 | 29.3 | .044 |
| Total peak use (no. drinks/year × total years) | 7910 | 11 476 | 11 388 | 18 663 | .174 |
| Body mass index, mean (kg/m2) | 25.5 | 26.1 | 27.9 | 31 | .004 |
| HAI inflammation, mean | 6.1 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 9.3 | <.001 |
| ALT level, mean (IU/L) | 57 | 70 | 77 | 87 | <.001 |
| Peak ALT level, mean (IU/L) | 113 | 124 | 138 | 142 | .006 |
| AST level, mean (IU/L) | 39 | 46 | 48 | 66 | <.001 |
| Peak AST level, mean (IU/L) | 70 | 80 | 81 | 102 | <.001 |
| GGTP level, mean (IU/L) | 57 | 57 | 70 | 97 | .025 |
| Total bilirubin level, mean (mg/dL) | 0.6 | 0.7 | 0.7 | 0.7 | .064 |
| Albumin level, mean (g/dL) | 4.3 | 4.3 | 4.4 | 4.3 | .888 |
| Platelet count, mean (platelets/mm3) | 248 | 229 | 240 | 188 | <.001 |
| Prothrombin time, mean (s) | 12.2 | 12.4 | 12.3 | 12.7 | .062 |
| Partial thromboplastin time, mean (s) | 27.9 | 28.7 | 27.4 | 28.7 | .928 |
| Alpha-1 fetoprotein level, mean (ng/mL) | 8 | 5 | 5 | 15 | .014b |
| Alkaline phosphatase level, mean (IU/L) | 77 | 72 | 79 | 87 | .289 |
| Lactate dehydrogenase level, mean (IU/L) | 161 | 164 | 172 | 180 | .008 |
| Creatine kinase level, mean (IU/L) | 124 | 134 | 132 | 104 | .909 |
| Viral measurements | |||||
| Quantitative RNA load, mean (× 106 copies/mL) | 3.43 | 3.17 | 4.55 | 1.96 | .189 |
| Genotype | |||||
| 1 | 46 (34) | 49 (36) | 22 (16) | 19 (14) | .414 |
| 2 | 10 (32) | 9 (29) | 9 (29) | 3 (10) | |
| 3 | 1 (14) | 2 (29) | 1 (14) | 3 (43) | |
| 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | |
| 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| Mixed | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGTP, γ-glutamyl peptidase; HAI, histologic activity index.
a For 125 subjects, inferred from the date of blood transfusion, the first year of injection drug use, or the date of a well-defined needlestick exposure.
b P = .024 after excluding data for 1 study subject, who had hepatocellular carcinoma.