Table 3.
Biochemical, Clinical, and Histologic Characteristics of Patients That Underwent Three Consecutive Biopsies During The Follow‐Up Period
| Baseline (n = 32) | 1st Follow‐Up (n = 32) | 2nd Follow‐Up (n = 32) | P Value Baseline vs. 1st Follow‐Up | P Value 1st Follow‐Up vs. 2nd Follow‐Up | P Value Baseline vs. 2nd Follow‐Up | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 43.3 ± 10.6 | 57.0 ± 10.5 | 66.1 ± 10.3 | |||
| Sex (male) | 28 (88%) | 28 (88%) | 28 (88%) | |||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.9 ± 4.3 | 29.5 ± 5.2 | 29.0 ± 4.4 | <0.0001 | 0.513 | 0.107 |
| Overweight | 19 (59%) | 20 (63%) | 15 (47%) | 1.000 | 0.625 | 0.727 |
| Obese | 6 (19%) | 11 (34%) | 12 (38%) | 0.063 | 1.000 | 0.031 |
| Diabetes/IGT | 2 (6%) | 24 (75%) | 24 (75%) | <0.0001 | 1.000 | <0.0001 |
| Hypertensive | 22 (69%) | 30 (94%) | 29 (91%) | 1.000 | 1.000 | 1.000 |
| Manifest cardiovascular disease | 0 (0%) | 2 (6%) | 7 (22%) | 0.500 | 0.063 | 0.016 |
| Hypertriglyceridemia | 15 (47%) | 17 (53%) | 12 (38%) | 1.000 | 0.344 | 0.289 |
| Metabolic syndrome | NA | 26 (81%) | 26 (81%) | NA | 0.688 | NA |
| ALT (U/L) | 74 ± 40 | 63 ± 33 | 47 ± 31 | 0.186 | 0.023 | <0.0001 |
| AST (U/L) | 38 ± 13 | 34 ± 19 | 42 ± 27 | 0.318 | 0.087 | 0.360 |
| AST/ALT ratio | 0.5 ± 0.1 | 0.6 ± 0.2 | 0.9 ± 0.3 | 0.298 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| ALP (U/L) | 53 ± 24 | 57 ± 17 | 73 ± 34 | 0.278 | 0.027 | 0.016 |
| Bilirubin (mg/dL) | 0.7 ± 0.5 | 0.7 ± 0.4 | 0.9 ± 1.1 | 0.166 | 0.496 | 0.344 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 4.2 ± 0.3 | 4.3 ± 0.4 | 4.0 ± 0.5 | 0.721 | 0.011 | 0.016 |
| Platelet count ( × 109/L) | 220 ± 60 | 223 ± 55 | 229 ± 66 | 0.623 | 0.835 | 0.995 |
| Prothrombin (INR) | 0.96 ± 0.10 | 0.98 ± 0.07 | 1.07 ± 0.29 | 0.172 | 0.050 | 0.018 |
| Ferritin (μg/L) | 202 ± 155 | 220 ± 167 | 278 ± 263 | 0.626 | 0.242 | 0.209 |
| Glucose (mg/dL) | NA | 119 ± 37 | 129 ± 40 | NA | 0.188 | NA |
| IR HOMA | NA | 3.1 ± 1.9 | 8.7 ± 13.4 | NA | 0.031 | NA |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 185 ± 178 | 169 ± 95 | 173 ± 114 | 0.567 | 0.926 | 0.564 |
| Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 240 ± 73 | 204 ± 42 | 188 ± 54 | 0.015 | 0.056 | 0.001 |
| HDL (mg/dL) | NA | 54 ± 25 | 50 ± 16 | NA | 0.203 | NA |
| LDL (mg/dL) | NA | 127 ± 37 | 112 ± 45 | NA | 0.081 | NA |
| NAFLD activity score | 3 (1‐4) | 2 (0‐4) | 2 (0‐5) | 0.226 | 0.946 | 0.513 |
| Steatosis | 1.5 (0‐3) | 3 (1‐3) | 2 (0‐3) | 0.027 | 0.047 | 0.001 |
| Ballooning | 0 (0‐1) | 0 (0‐2) | 0 (0‐2) | 0.014 | 0.038 | 0.013 |
| Inflammation | 0 (0) | 0 (0‐1) | 0 (0‐2) | 0.317 | 0.011 | 0.007 |
| Fibrosis | 0 (0‐2) | 0.5 (0‐4) | 1.5 (0‐4) | 0.007 | 0.041 | 0.013 |
| F0 (%) | 20 (63%) | 16 (50%) | 13 (41%) | |||
| F1 (%) | 10 (31%) | 9 (28%) | 3 (9%) | |||
| F2 (%) | 2 (6%) | 3 (9%) | 9 (28%) | |||
| F3 (%) | 0 | 3 (9%) | 4 (13%) | |||
| F4 (%) | 0 | 1 (3%) | 3 (9%) | |||
| NAFLD fibrosis score | –2.536 ± 1.203 | –1.074 ± 1.375 | –0.212 ± 1.355 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| FIB‐4 | 1.0 ± 0.5 | 1.2 ± 0.6 | 2.0 ± 1.3 | 0.072 | <0.0001 | <0.0001 |
| APRI | 0.43 ± 0.23 | 0.39 ± 0.29 | 0.44 ± 0.32 | 0.560 | 0.197 | 0.614 |
| GUCI | 0.41 ± 0.23 | 0.38 ± 0.28 | 0.57 ± 0.74 | 0.631 | 0.101 | 0.164 |
| BARD | 0 (0‐2) | 1 (0‐3) | 2 (0‐4) | 0.001 | 0.003 | <0.0001 |
| Fibroscan (kPa) | NA | NA | 8.0 ± 4.1 | NA | NA | NA |
Continuous data were assessed with dependent t test if not normally distributed, or for a nonparametric method, the Wilcoxon rank‐sum test was used. Dichotomous variables were assessed with the χ2 test. Numbers in bold are significant.
Abbreviations: ALP, alkaline phosphatase; HDL, high‐density lipoprotein; IGT, impaired glucose tolerance; IRHOMA, insulin resistance according to homeostasis model assessment; LDL, low‐density lipoprotein; NA, not available.