Table 1.
Patients’ Clinical Characteristics at Enrollment
| Characteristic | Not Receiving Statins at Enrollment (n = 63) | Receiving Statins at Enrollment (n = 38) | P Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | 48 ± 1 | 55 ± 1 | <0.001 |
| Men, % | 63 | 82 | 0.05 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 34.5 ± 0.5 | 34.3 ± 0.9 | 0.82 |
| Total body fat, % | 34 ± 1 | 33 ± 1 | 0.66 |
| Liver fat, % | 19 ± 1 | 14 ± 1 | 0.02 |
| MetS, % | 89 | 89 | 0.93 |
| T2DM, % | 44 | 63 | 0.07 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 196 ± 6 | 166 ± 6 | <0.001 |
| LDL-C, mg/dL | 119 ± 5 | 93 ± 5 | <0.001 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 166 (133–224) | 152 (82–227) | 0.23 |
| HDL-C, mg/dL | 36 ± 1 | 38 ± 2 | 0.23 |
| Receiving other lipid-lowering drug, % | 8 | 18 | 0.13 |
| ALT, IU/mL | 75 ± 5 | 57 ± 5 | 0.03 |
| AST, IU/mL | 53 ± 4 | 43 ± 3 | 0.09 |
| Fasting plasma glucose, mg/dL | 122 ± 4 | 127 ± 5 | 0.44 |
| Hemoglobin A1c, % | 6.2 ± 0.1 | 6.5 ± 0.2 | 0.11 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mmHg | 133 ± 2 | 131 ± 2 | 0.45 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mmHg | 77 ± 1 | 75 ± 2 | 0.19 |
| Hypertension, % | 71 | 87 | 0.07 |
| NAFLD activity score | 4.4 ± 0.2 | 4.6 ± 0.2 | 0.49 |
| Steatosis grade | 2.0 ± 0.1 | 2.0 ± 0.1 | 0.85 |
| Inflammation grade | 1.6 ± 0.1 | 1.8 ± 0.1 | 0.12 |
| Ballooning grade | 0.9 ± 0.1 | 0.8 ± 0.1 | 0.86 |
| Fibrosis stage | 0.9 ± 0.1 | 1.3 ± 0.2 | 0.05 |
Numeric variables are expressed as mean ± standard error of the mean, except for triglycerides, which are expressed as median (interquantile range). Qualitative data are expressed as percentages. P values were calculated with χ2 or Fisher exact test for categorical variables and t test or Kruskal-Wallis test for numeric variables depending on their distribution.