Table 1.
Demographic and clinical characteristics of the overall study population
| n | 384 |
| Age (years) | 46 (38–56) |
| Male Gender, n (%) | 293 (76.3) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.3 (23.0–28.2) |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 30 (7.8) |
| Alcohol abuse, n (%) | 23 (6.0) |
| Alcohol dependence, n (%) | 361 (94.0) |
| Age at onset of at-risk alcohol consumption (years) | 24 (18–32) |
| Daily alcohol consumption (units) | 12 (8–18) |
| Duration of at-risk alcohol consumption (years) | 19 (10–28) |
| I.N.R. | 1 (0.92–1.07) |
| Serum bilirubin (mg/dl) | 0.6 (0.5–1.0) |
| Serum creatinine (mg/dl) | 0.9 (0.7–1.0) |
| Serum AST (U/L) | 30 (20–51) |
| Serum ALT (U/L) | 29 (19–51) |
| Cirrhosis, n (%) | 84 (21.9) |
| Age at diagnosis of cirrhosis (years) | 55 (47–61) |
| Child-Pugh class, n (%)* | |
| A | 29 (34.5) |
| B | 36 (42.9) |
| C | 19 (22.6) |
| MELD score* | 13 (9–17) |
| PNPLA3, n (%) | |
| II | 164 (42.7) |
| IM | 165 (43.0) |
| MM | 55 (14.3) |
Data are expressed as median and interquartile range or as proportions. P-values for continuous variables were calculated using linear regression model adjusting for age, gender and BMI. Non-normally distributed variables were log-transformed before entering the model. Categorical variables' distribution was compared by χ2 test. Genotype and allele frequencies were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (P > 0.05).
Child-Pugh classes and MELD score were assessed only in individuals with cirrhosis.
n, number; BMI, body mass index; I.N.R., international normalized ratio; AST, aspartate transferase; ALT, alanine transferase; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease; PNPLA3, patatin-like phospholipase domain-containing 3; II, individuals with two 148I alleles; IM, heterozygotes; MM, individuals with two 148M alleles.