Table 1.
Description of response and explanatory variables subjected to decision tree analyses
| Variable abbreviation | Description & definition | Measurement units |
|---|---|---|
| |
Response variable |
|
| HBSA |
Hepatitis B Surface Antigen (marker of HBV infection) |
Positive (1) or |
| HepC |
Patient antibody to HCV, indicating contact with virus (Both HBSA and HepC detected by immunoassay) |
Negative (0) |
| |
Explanatory variable |
|
| Age |
Patient (case) Age |
Years |
| Sex |
Gender: 1 = F, 2 = M |
M or F |
| ALT |
Alanine aminotransferase (An intracellular enzyme released in after liver & other tissue cell damage) |
U/L |
| GGT |
Gamma-glutamyltranspeptidase (An intracellular enzyme also relevant to liver damage) |
U/L |
| Hb |
Haemoglobin |
g/L |
| Hct |
Haematocrit (formerly known as “packed cell volume”) |
% |
| Mch |
Mean corpuscular haemoglobin |
pg/RBC |
| MCHC |
Mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration |
g/L |
| MCV |
Mean corpuscular volume |
fL |
| Plt |
Platelets (blood clotting) |
x 109/L |
| WCC |
White cell count |
x 109/L |
| RCC |
Red cell count |
x 1012/L |
| RDW |
Red cell distribution width |
% |
| Neut |
Neutrophil. White blood cell, elevated by bacterial infection and early viral infection |
x 109/L |
| Lymph |
Lymphocyte. White blood cell, elevated by viral infection and some cancers |
x 109/L |
| Mono |
Monocyte. White blood cell, elevated by infection, inflammation, some cancers. |
x 109/L |
| Eos |
Eosinophil. White blood cell, elevated by allergy and parasite infection |
x 109/L |
| Bas | Basophils. White blood cell, elevated in hypersensitivity reactions. | x 109/L |
U/L Units per litre, g/L grams/Litre, pg picograms, fL femtolitres.