Table 2.
Clinical features of the two subgroups classified according to the effect of ursodeoxycholic acid
| Subgroup U11 (n = 34) | Subgroup U22 (n = 14) | P | |
| Age (yr) | 42 (17-74) | 48 (21-66) | ns |
| Sex (female) | 33 (97.1%) | 12 (85.7%) | ns |
| Acute presentation | 4 (11.8%) | 1 (7.1%) | ns |
| Laboratory data | |||
| AST (IU/L) | 93 (46-505) | 144 (50-1234) | 0.024 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 124 (52-742) | 262 (65-1000) | 0.023 |
| T.Bil (mg/dL) | 0.7 (0.3-18) | 1.0 (0.3-2) | ns |
| ALP (U/L) | 300 (144-1184) | 300 (168-924) | ns |
| γ-GTP (U/L) | 86 (16-875) | 67 (13-405) | ns |
| IgG (mg/dL) | 1959 (1096-3800) | 1960 (1476-3793) | ns |
| ANA (≥ 1 : 40) | 32 (94.1%) | 14 (100%) | ns |
| SMA (≥ 1 : 40) | 8/17 (47.1%) | 3/6 (50%) | ns |
| HLA DR4 | 4/11 (36.4%) | 2/5 (40%) | ns |
| Histological finding | |||
| Grading | |||
| A1 | 24 (70.6%) | 5 (35.7%) | 0.025 |
| A2 | 10 (29.4%) | 8 (57.1%) | |
| A3 | 0 (0%) | 1 (7.1%) | |
| Staging | |||
| F1 | 25 (73.5%) | 10 (71.4%) | ns |
| F2 | 4 (11.8%) | 2 (14.3%) | |
| F3 | 5 (14.7%) | 1 (7.1%) | |
| F4 | 0 (0%) | 1 (7.1%) | |
| AIH score | |||
| Revised score | 15 (10-19) | 17 (12-20) | ns |
| Simplified score | 6 (4-8) | 6 (6-7) | ns |
Subgroup U1, normalized ALT and sustained remission;
Subgroup U2, non-normalized ALT or relapse. Continuous variables are expressed as median (range) values. The Mann-Whitney U test was used to evaluate differences in continuous variables between two groups. Dichotomous variables were compared by Pearson’s χ2 test. Values of P < 0.05 were considered significant. ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; AIH: Autoimmune hepatitis; AST: Aspartate transaminase; HLA: Human leukocyte antigen; ANA: Antinuclear antibody; ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; γ-GTP: γ-glutamyltransferase; SMA: Smooth muscle antibody; T.Bil: Total bilirubin; IgG: Immunoglobulin G; ns: No significant difference.