Table 1. Characteristics of studied subjects.
| Variable | Cirrhotic (n = 12) | Controls (n = 14) | p value |
| Age (years): mean±SD | 70.5 9.8 | 52.3 13.7 | 0.006 |
| Gender | |||
| Male: subject numbers (%) | 8 (66.7%) | 5 (35.7%) | ns |
| Female: subject numbers (%) | 4 (33.3%) | 9 (64.3%) | ns |
| BMI: mean±SD | 27.2 3.5 | 26.5 4.3 | ns |
| Smoker | |||
| Yes: subject numbers (%) | 1 (8.3%) | 3 (21.4%) | ns |
| No: subject numbers (%) | 11 (91.7%) | 11 (78.6%) | ns |
| Serum bilirubin (mg/dL): mean±SD | 1.4±0.6 | 0.7±0.3 | – |
| Serum albumin (g/L): mean±SD | 3.7±0.3 | 4.1±0.3 | – |
| INR (ratio): mean±SD | 1.4±0.4 | 1.0±0.1 | – |
| ALT (times ULN): mean±SD | 1.2±0.7 | 0.52±0.2 | – |
| Platelets (x109/L): mean±SD | 114±60 | 287±37 | – |
| Alpha-FP (ng/mL): mean±SD | 8.4±11 | – | – |
| Child-Pugh score | |||
| Class A: subject numbers (%) | 6 (50.0%) | – | |
| Etiology: HCV, HBV, Cryptogenetic | 5/0/1 | – | – |
| Class B: subject numbers (%) | 3 (25.0%) | – | |
| Etiology: HCV, HBV, Cryptogenetic | 3/0/0 | – | – |
| Class C: subject numbers (%) | 3 (25.0%) | – | – |
| Etiology: HCV, HBV, Cryptogenetic | 0/1/2 | – |
Abbreviations: INR, International Normalized Ratio; ALT, alanine transaminase; Alpha-FP, Alpha-Fetoprotein; HCV, Hepatitis C Virus; HBV, Hepatitis B Virus.