Table 1.
Clinical, anthropometrical and biochemical characteristics of the study population.
| Clinical Characteristics | Lean NAFLD (n = 74) |
Overweight NAFLD (n = 242) | Obese NAFLD (n = 150) |
p-Value | Lean vs. Overweight | Lean vs. Obese 2 | Overweight vs. Obese 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 48.7 ± 14.8 | 49.6 ± 13.8 | 50.4 ± 12.3 | 0.122 | * | * | * |
| Sex (M/F) | 43/31 | 179/63 | 107/43 | 0.675 | * | * | * |
| Systolic BP (mm Hg) | 120.5 ± 16.7 | 127.5 ± 18.2 | 135.1 ± 20.6 | 0.001 | 0.163 | 0.001 | 0.021 |
| Diastolic BP (mm Hg) | 75.0 ± 10.7 | 78.7 ± 11.3 | 83.4 ± 12.5 | 0.001 | 0.287 | 0.001 | 0.018 |
| Hypertension (y/n) | 19/55 (25.6%) | 86/156 (35.5%) | 92/58 (61.3%) | <0.001 | 0.360 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m²) | 23.1 ± 1.5 | 27.4 ± 1.5 | 33.1 ± 2.9 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Diabetes (y/n) | 13/61 (17.5%) | 67/175 (27.6%) | 68/82 (45.3%) | <0.001 | 0.277 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| MetS (y/n) | 10/64 (13.51%) | 73/169 (30.17%) | 105/45 (70%) | <0.001 | 0.016 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Components of MetS | 1.08 ± 1.03 | 1.57 ± 1.18 | 2.80 ± 1.11 | <0.001 | 0.004 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| TG (mg/dL) | 186.3 ± 146 | 179.1 ± 112.2 | 213 ± 220.6 | 0.131 | * | * | * |
| High TG (%) | 34 (45.9%) | 115 (42.0%) | 80 (53.3%) | 0.315 | * | * | * |
| Cholesterol (mg/dL) | 218.7 ± 58.1 | 216.5 ± 50.3 | 219.2 ± 51.3 | 0.873 | * | * | * |
| HDL-C (mg/dL) | 58.1 ± 25.22 | 49.61 ± 14.70 | 49.12 ± 15.3 | <0.001 | <0.001 | <0.001 | 1.000 |
| Low HDL-C (%) | 22 (29.7%) | 105 (38.3%) | 64 (42.7%) | 0.493 | * | * | * |
| LDL-C (mg/dL) | 127.3 ± 50.6 | 137 ± 42.6 | 136.0 ± 42.9 | 0.243 | * | * | * |
| Fasting Glucose (mg/dL) | 94.5 ± 22.7 | 105.9 ± 31.8 | 113.6 ± 37.0 | <0.001 | 0.030 | <0.001 | 0.079 |
| HbA1c (mmol/mol) | 6.1 ± 0.9 | 6.3 ± 1.0 | 6.5 ± 0.7 | 0.077 | * | * | * |
| Bilirubin (mg/dL) | 1.3 ± 0.5 | 1.5 ± 0.7 | 1.1 ± 0.4 | 0.325 | * | * | * |
| GGT (IU/L) | 191.3 ± 119 | 128.2 ± 127.4 | 196 ± 222.2 | 0.006 | 0.101 | 0.879 | 0.011 |
| AST (IU/L) | 53.7 ± 41.9 | 43.0 ± 26.9 | 53.8 ± 40.8 | 0.004 | 0.060 | 0.985 | 0.009 |
| ALT (IU/L) | 60.0 ± 36.4 | 66.9 ± 48.5 | 87.0 ± 63.7 | <0.001 | 0.961 | 0.001 | 0.001 |
| AP (IU/L) | 116.2±100 | 92.7 ± 65.6 | 92.3 ± 58.3 | 0.031 | 0.037 | 0.052 | 1.000 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 14.6 ± 1.6 | 15.3 ± 1.4 | 15.4 ± 1.2 | <0.001 | 0.001 | <0.001 | 1.000 |
| Platelets (G/L) | 218.2 ± 69.0 | 218.5 ± 60.0 | 211.2 ± 57.0 | 0.491 | * | * | * |
| Ferritin (µg/L) | 500.5 ± 544 | 472.2 ± 443.9 | 597.2 ± 534 | 0.054 | * | * | * |
| Transferrin Sat. (%) | 36.5 ± 31.8 | 33.2 ± 14.1 | 34.0 ± 13.6 | 0.430 | * | * | * |
| Thyroid hormone replacement (y/n) [m/f] | 10/64 (13.5%) [2;8/40;24] | 25/217 (10.3%) [9;16/172;45] | 24/126 (16.0%) [13;11/93;3] | 0.210 | * | * | * |
| Fib4 | 2.05 ± 2.28 | 1.41 ± 1.11 | 1.61 ± 1.54 | 0.006 | 0.004 | 0.111 | 0.633 |
| NAFLD fibrosis score | −1.64 ± 2.06 | −1.19 ± 2.16 | −0.07 ± 2.13 | <0.001 | 0.99 | 0.001 | <0.001 |
1p-value indicating the level of significance between lean and overweight patients; 2p-value indicating the level of significance between lean and obese patients; 3p-value indicates the level of significance between obese and overweight patients. Abbreviations: OW—overweight, BMI—Body Mass Index; BP—blood pressure; MetS—Metabolic syndrome. Abbreviations: ALT—alanine aminotransferase; AP—alkaline phosphatase; AST—aspartate aminotransferase; GGT—gamma glutamyltranspeptidase; HbA1c—hemoglobin A1c; HDL-C—high density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL—low density lipoprotein cholesterol; OW—overweight; TG—triglycerides; * denote calculations not performed due to insignificant difference in the comparison of all groups.