Table 3.
Characteristics Of Patients Stratified By Nfs Grades (n = 4,073)
| Low NFS (n = 2,451) | Intermediate NFS (n = 1,462) | High NFS (n = 160) | P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years)a | 57.0 (45.0 ‐ 64.0) | 67.0 (61.0 ‐ 73.0) | 73.5 (68.0 ‐ 77.3) | <0.001 |
| Sex (female/male) | 1,095/1,356 | 685/777 | 91/69 | 0.008 |
| Smoking (yes/no/unknown) | 693/1,574/184 | 335/1,032/95 | 31/120/9 | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2)a | 24.8 (22.9 ‐ 27.1) | 25.4 (23.3 ‐ 27.7) | 25.9 (23.9 ‐ 28.9) | <0.001 |
| AST (IU/L)a | 23 (19 ‐ 31) | 24 (19 ‐ 33) | 28 (21 ‐ 49) | <0.001 |
| ALT (IU/L)a | 28 (19 ‐ 46) | 24 (17 ‐ 38) | 23 (14 ‐ 42) | <0.001 |
| Gamma‐glutamyl transpeptidase (IU/L) | 33 (22 ‐ 57) | 31 (21 ‐ 50) | 36 (22 ‐ 73) | <0.001 |
| Albumin (g/dL)a | 4.5 (4.3 ‐ 4.7) | 4.3 (4.1 ‐ 4.5) | 4.1 (3.7 ‐ 4.3) | <0.001 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL)a | 0.6 (0.5 ‐ 0.8) | 0.6 (0.5 ‐ 0.8) | 0.6 (0.5 ‐ 0.9) | 0.150 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL)a | 208 (182 ‐ 231) | 198 (175 ‐ 221) | 183 (155 ‐ 214) | <0.001 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL)a | 136 (96 ‐ 193) | 130 (94 ‐ 188) | 121 (85 ‐ 176) | 0.041 |
| Low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (mg/dL)a | 128 (107 ‐ 150) | 120 (97 ‐ 141) | 110 (85 ‐ 136) | <0.001 |
| High‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (mg/dL)a | 48 (41 ‐ 57) | 46 (39 ‐ 55) | 43 (35 ‐ 51) | <0.001 |
| Platelet count (×104/mm3)a | 27.4 (23.7 ‐ 32.0) | 21.2 (18.4 ‐ 24.0) | 16.1 (12.8 ‐ 18.7) | <0.001 |
| Fasting plasma glucose (mg/dL)a | 92 (86 ‐ 99) | 93 (84 ‐ 104) | 89 (78 ‐ 100) | <0.001 |
| Hemoglobin A1c (%)a | 5.4 (5.1 ‐ 5.9) | 6.3 (5.5 ‐ 8.0) | 6.9 (6.0 ‐ 8.1) | <0.001 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg)a | 143 (130 ‐ 159) | 152 (136 ‐ 167) | 154 (138 ‐ 173) | <0.001 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg)a | 80 (78 ‐ 88) | 75 (66 ‐ 84) | 71 (62 ‐ 83) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes mellitus (yes/no) | 393/2,058 | 750/712 | 111/49 | <0.001 |
| Follow‐up duration (years)a | 6.7 (4.5 ‐ 8.7) | 7.6 (5.5 ‐ 9.6) | 6.5 (4.5 ‐ 9.4) | <0.001 |
| US fatty liver scores (1/2/3/4/5/6) | 128/616/610/616/331/150 | 93/374/372/374/189/60 | 10/44/51/39/11/5 | 0.038 |
| NFSa | −2.61 (−3.44 to −2.00) | −0.67 (−1.07 to −0.18) | 1.06 (0.89 to −1.44) | <0.001 |
| Deaths | 57 (2.3%) | 97 (6.6%) | 25 (15.6%) | <0.001 |
| Causes | ||||
| Liver‐related diseases | 3/57 (5.3%) | 4/97 (4.1%) | 2/25 (8.0%) | 0.728 |
| Primary liver cancer | 2 | 2 | 1 | |
| Liver failure | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Non‐liver‐related diseases | 54/57 (94.7%) | 93/97 (95.6%) | 23/25 (92.0%) | |
| Malignancies | 29/54 (53.7%) | 44/93 (47.3%) | 10/23 (43.5%) | |
| Digestive malignancies | 13 | 19 | 4 | |
| Respiratory malignancies | 10 | 6 | 3 | |
| Hematological malignancies | 2 | 8 | 3 | |
| Other | 4 | 11 | 0 | |
| Nonmalignant diseases | 25/54 (46.3%) | 49/93 (52.7%) | 13/23 (56.5%) | |
| Digestive diseases | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Respiratory diseases | 7 | 18 | 2 | |
| Cardiovascular disease | 9 | 17 | 7 | |
| Cerebrovascular diseases | 4 | 4 | 1 | |
| Injury | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Other | 3 | 7 | 1 |
a
Values are expressed as medians (interquartile range).
Abbreviation: BMI, body mass index.