Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of Study Population by Liver Stiffness (n = 851)a
| Characteristics | No/Mild Stiffness (n = 609) | Moderate Stiffness (n = 127) | Severe Stiffness (n = 115) | P Valueb | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 37 (31–44) | 40 (34–45) | 44 (39–48) | <.001 | 39 (32–45) |
| Male | 609 (100) | 127 (100) | 115 (100) | — | 851 (100) |
| Education | |||||
| None or primary | 350 (57.5) | 67 (52.8) | 58 (50.4) | .503 | 475 (55.8) |
| Secondary | 95 (15.6) | 18 (14.2) | 16 (13.9) | 129 (15.2) | |
| High School | 103 (16.9) | 24 (18.9) | 26 (22.6) | 153 (18.0) | |
| Vocational/University/Graduate | 61 (10.0) | 18 (14.2) | 15 (13.0) | 94 (11.1) | |
| Median monthly income, rupees | 6000 (4000–9000) | 6000 (4000–8000) | 6000 (3000–10 000) | .409 | 6000 (4000–9000) |
| Injection duration (years) | 12 (7–19) | 15 (9–20) | 18 (13–23) | <.001 | 14 (8–20) |
| Lifetime drug injection | |||||
| Heroin | 576 (94.6) | 118 (92.9) | 110 (95.7) | .642 | 804 (94.5) |
| Stimulants | 3 (0.5) | 2 (1.6) | 0 (0) | .291 | 5 (0.6) |
| Buprenorphine | 342 (56.2) | 81 (63.8) | 93 (80.9) | <.001 | 516 (60.6) |
| Other prescription opiates | 129 (21.2) | 38 (29.9) | 37 (32.2) | .010 | 204 (24.0) |
| Sedatives | 270 (44.3) | 64 (50.4) | 71 (61.7) | .002 | 405 (47.6) |
| Injection drug use in prior 6 mo | 97 (15.9) | 15 (11.8) | 10 (8.7) | .089 | 122 (14.3) |
| Lifetime noninjection drug use | |||||
| Marijuana | |||||
| Heroin | 547 (89.8) | 116 (91.3) | 108 (93.9) | .41 | 771 (90.6) |
| Stimulants | 326 (53.5) | 75 (59.0) | 91 (79.1) | <.001 | 492 (57.8) |
| Buprenorphine | 111 (18.2) | 27 (21.3) | 33 (28.7) | .038 | 171 (20.1) |
| Other prescription opiates | 70 (11.5) | 11 (8.7) | 13 (11.3) | .696 | 94 (11.1) |
| Sedatives | 321 (52.7) | 72 (56.7) | 67 (58.3) | .444 | 460 (54.1) |
| Median cigarettes smoked daily | 8 (4–15) | 10 (4–12) | 10 (5–16) | .226 | 10 (4–15) |
| Drinks per day | |||||
| None | 96 (15.8) | 19 (15.0) | 14 (12.2) | .02 | 129 (15.2) |
| 1–4 | 156 (25.6) | 30 (23.6) | 34 (29.6) | 220 (25.9) | |
| 5–6 | 166 (27.3) | 23 (18.1) | 19 (16.5) | 208 (24.4) | |
| 7 or more | 191 (31.4) | 55 (43.3) | 48 (41.7) | 294 (34.6) | |
| AUDIT category | |||||
| No/mild alcohol use | 191 (31.4) | 33 (26.0) | 26 (22.6) | .089 | 250 (29.4) |
| Harmful/hazardous alcohol use | 110 (18.1) | 19 (15.0) | 16 (13.9) | 145 (17.0) | |
| Alcohol dependence | 308 (50.6) | 75 (59.0) | 73 (63.5) | 456 (53.6) | |
| HIV and treatment status | |||||
| Negative | 509 (83.6) | 104 (81.9) | 90 (78.3) | .131 | 703 (82.6) |
| Positive and no ART | 45 (7.4) | 16 (12.6) | 13 (11.3) | 74 (8.7) | |
| Positive on ART | 51 (8.4) | 6 (4.7) | 11 (9.6) | 68 (8.0) | |
| HIV infection/CD4 count (cells/mm3) | |||||
| HIV negative | 509 (83.6) | 104 (81.9) | 90 (78.3) | .047 | 703 (82.6) |
| HIV positive, ≥200 | 14 (2.3) | 2 (1.6) | 9 (7.8) | 25 (2.9) | |
| HIV positive, <200 | 82 (13.5) | 20 (15.8) | 15 (13.0) | 117 (13.8) | |
| HCV infection | |||||
| HCV antibody negative | 414 (68.0) | 73 (57.5) | 33 (28.7) | <.001 | 520 (61.1) |
| HCV antibody positive, RNA neg | 56 (9.2) | 5 (3.9) | 8 (7.0) | 69 (8.1) | |
| HCV antibody positive, RNA pos | 129 (21.2) | 47 (37.0) | 69 (60.0) | 245 (28.8) | |
| HIV/HCV infection | |||||
| HIV negative, HCV RNA negative | 418 (68.6) | 69 (54.3) | 37 (32.2) | <.001 | 524 (61.6) |
| HIV positive, HCV RNA negative | 49 (8.1) | 9 (7.1) | 4 (3.5) | 62 (7.3) | |
| HIV negative, HCV RNA positive | 83 (13.6) | 34 (26.8) | 50 (43.5) | 167 (19.6) | |
| HIV positive, HCV RNA positive | 46 (7.6) | 13 (10.2) | 19 (16.5) | 78 (9.2) | |
| Ever HCV treatmentc | 5 (2.6) | 2 (3.8) | 4 (4.9) | .569 | 11 (3.4) |
| Alternative medications for HIVd | 3 (3.1) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.000 | 3 (2.1) |
| Alternative medications for HCVc | 3 (1.6) | 2 (3.8) | 2 (2.5) | .429 | 7 (2.2) |
| HBsAg positive | 34 (5.6) | 12 (9.5) | 12 (10.4) | .061 | 58 (6.8) |
| History of tuberculosis | 99 (16.3) | 15 (11.8) | 23 (20.0) | .224 | 137 (16.1) |
| History of dengue | 4 (0.7) | 0 (0) | 0 (0) | 1.000 | 4 (0.5) |
| History of chikungunya | 47 (7.7) | 8 (6.3) | 10 (8.7) | .834 | 65 (7.6) |
| History of malaria | 63 (10.3) | 13 (10.2) | 14 (12.2) | .882 | 90 (10.6) |
| Signs or symptoms of liver disease | 84 (13.8) | 15 (11.8) | 35 (30.4) | <.001 | 134 (15.8) |
| Median body mass index, kg/m2 | 19.5 (17.7–22.5) | 20.9 (18.2–23.6) | 20.6 (18.4–24.6) | .007 | 19.8 (17.9–23.0) |
| Median ALT, mg/dL | 23 (15–39) | 42 (24–82) | 62 (31–103) | <.001 | 28 (16–54) |
| Median AST, mg/dL | 29 (23–47) | 61 (32–107) | 84 (56–157) | <.001 | 35 (24–71) |
| Median GGT, mg/DL | 32 (21–64) | 69 (35–197) | 176 (77–335) | <.001 | 40 (23–109) |
| Median platelet count | 221 (183–273) | 202 (171–243) | 158 (112–210) | <.001 | 213 (170–261) |
| Median total cholesterol, mg/dL | 170 (140–199) | 168 (138–203) | 151 (123–188) | .006 | 169 (138–198) |
| Median HOMA IR | 1.12 (0.60–2.11) | 1.33 (0.59–2.55) | 1.9 (0.72–4.15) | <.001 | 1.22 (0.59–2.42) |
| Steatosis | |||||
| Normal | 295 (48.4) | 44 (34.7) | 42 (36.5) | .006 | 381 (44.8) |
| Mild | 241 (39.6) | 59 (46.5) | 51 (44.4) | 351 (41.3) | |
| Moderate | 73 (12.0) | 24 (18.9) | 22 (19.1) | 119 (14.0) | |
Data are presented as n (%) or median (interquartile range); percentages may not add to 100% due to missing data.
Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; AUDIT, Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transferase; ART, antiretroviral therapy; HBsAg, surface antigen of the hepatitis B virus; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; HOMA IR, homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance score; neg, negative; pos, positive; RNA, ribonucleic acid.
a 851 with valid FibroScan scores at baseline among those enrolled in longitudinal follow-up.
b Fisher's exact test for categorical variables and Kruskal–Wallis for continuous variables.
c Among HCV antibody positives.
d Among HIV antibody positives.