Table II.
Baseline characteristics of patients, comparing steroid use.
| Variable | Steroids (n=55) | No steroids (n=183) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender (%) | 0.218 | ||
| Male | 24 (43.6) | 99 (54.1) | |
| Female | 31 (56.4) | 84 (45.9) | |
| Age, mean years±SD | 30.8±12.5 | 38.7±18.8 | 0.004 |
| Type (%) | <0.001 | ||
| ALF | 34 (60.8) | 39 (21.3) | |
| SALF | 21 (38.2) | 144 (78.7) | |
| Coma grade (%) | 0.009 | ||
| 0 | 20 (36.4) | 115 (62.8) | |
| 1 | 0 (0.0) | 1 (0.5) | |
| 2 | 11 (20.0) | 27 (14.8) | |
| 3 | 16 (29.1) | 29 (15.8) | |
| 4 | 8 (14.5) | 12 (6.6) | |
| Etiologies (%) | <0.001 | ||
| Viral | 37 (67.3) | 71 (38.8) | |
| Non-viral | 18 (32.7) | 112 (61.2) | |
| Mean MELD | 31.0±5.4 | 30.6±6.7 | 0.736 |
| Laboratory values | |||
| ALT, IU/l | 1878±1958 | 698±854 | <0.001 |
| AST, IU/l | 1403±1626 | 760±1282 | 0.003 |
| T-Bil, mg/dl | 18.4±8.6 | 24.3±11.1 | <0.001 |
| Cr, mg/dl | 1.14±0.52 | 1.23±0.61 | 0.330 |
| INR | 3.47±1.29 | 3.12±2.02 | 0.231 |
Data are expressed as number of patients in each group, unless indicated otherwise. SD, standard deviation; ALF, acute liver failure; SALF, subacute liver failure; MELD, Model for End-stage Liver Disease; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; T-Bil, serum total bilirubin; Cr, creatinine; INR, international normalized ratio.