Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the study population
| All | Boys | Girls | P | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | 230 | 131 | 99 | |
| Age (years) | 10.2 ± 3.0 | 10.7 ± 3.1 | 9.5 ± 2.7 | 0.003 |
| Body composition | ||||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 25.4 (23.1–28.7) | 26.0 (23.4–29.5) | 24.6 (22.8–27.1) | 0.010 |
| BMI Z-score | 2.04 (1.8–2.3) | 2.1 (1.8–2.3) | 2.0 (1.8–2.2) | 0.36 |
| WC (cm) | 86.9 ± 11.6 | 88.8 ± 11.6 | 84.4 ± 11.1 | 0.004 |
| BMI ≥ 95th (n, %) | 196 (86) | 87 (83.7) | 109 (87.9) | 0.88 |
| Pubertal stage | 0.76 | |||
| Stage 1 | 88 (38.3) | 52 (39.7) | 36 (36.4) | 0.09 |
| Stage 2 | 59 (25.7) | 30 (22.9) | 29 (29.3) | 0.89 |
| Stage 3 | 33 (14.3) | 21 (16.0) | 12 (12.1) | 0.12 |
| Stage 4 | 21 (9.1) | 12 (9.2) | 9 (9.1) | 0.51 |
| Stage 5 | 28 (12.2) | 15 (11.5) | 13 (13.1) | 0.70 |
| MetS (n, %)a | 40 (17.4) | 26 (19.8) | 14 (14.1) | 0.26 |
| HFF (%) | 3.0 (1–10) | 5.0 (1–10) | 2.0 (1–7) | 0.042 |
| NAFLD (n, %)b | 105 (45.7) | 68 (51.9) | 37 (37.4) | 0.028 |
| Blood pressure | ||||
| Systolic (mmHg) | 111.5 (106–120) | 113.3 (106–120) | 111 (105–120) | 0.80 |
| Diastolic (mmHg) | 65 (60–70) | 65.0 (60.0–70.0) | 65.0 (60–70) | 0.95 |
| Plasma lipids | ||||
| TC (mg/dL) | 160.4 ± 31.9 | 161.4 ± 34.0 | 159.2 ± 29.04 | 0.60 |
| LDL-C (mg/dL) | 92.9 ± 27.6 | 93.2 ± 29.1 | 92.5 ± 25.6 | 0.80 |
| TG (mg/dL) | 75.0 (51–106) | 72.5 (51–106) | 75.0 (51.5–107) | 0.86 |
| HDL-C (mg/dL) | 50 ± 12.6 | 50.7 ± 13.4 | 52.1 ± 13.5 | 0.44 |
| APOB (mg/dL) | 0.46 (0.64–0.88) | 0.74 (0.63–0.85) | 0.79 (0.65–0.89) | 0.17 |
| APOAI (mg/dL) | 1.38 (1.25–1.54) | 1.39 (1.26–1.54) | 1.36 (1.23–1.54) | 0.33 |
| Measures of glucose homeostasis | ||||
| Blood glucose (mg/dL) | ||||
| Fasting | 83 (77–86) | 83.0 (79.0–86.0) | 81.0 (77.0–86.0) | 0.06 |
| 120 min | 95.2 ± 16.7 | 97.0 ± 17.7 | 92.5 ± 14.8 | 0.06 |
| Insulin (UI/L) | ||||
| Fasting | 11.8 (8–16.9) | 11.8 (7.8–17.1) | 11.8 (9.2–16.7) | 0.61 |
| 120 min | 42.4 (23.3–68.8) | 41.3 (26.6–72.6) | 42.7 (21.7–62.9) | 0.53 |
| HOMAIR | 2.4 (1.6–3.6) | 2.4 (1.5–3.6) | 2.3 (1.8–3.6) | 0.62 |
| Liver function tests | ||||
| ALT (UI/L) | 20.5 (16–28.2) | 22 (17–31) | 19 (15–24) | 0.005 |
| AST (UI/L) | 23 (20–27) | 24 (21–27) | 23 (20–26.5) | 0.28 |
| AST/ALT ratio | 1.10 (0.83–1.41) | 1.05 (0.76–1.35) | 1.17 (0.92–1.51) | 0.006 |
| GGT (UI/L) | 14 (11–18) | 14 (12–19) | 12 (10–16) | 0.002 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 49.0 (47–50.5) | 49.0 (47–51) | 48 (46–50) | 0.02 |
| Ferritin (μg/L) | 66.2 ± 35.8 | 68.7 ± 39.01 | 62.8 ± 30.9 | 0.35 |
| CRP (μg/L) | 1600 (800–3600) | 1400 (700–2850) | 1800 (900–4600) | 0.010 |
Data are expressed as percentage, mean (±SD) and median (25th–75th percentile range) as appropriate
APOA1 Apoliporotein A-I, APOB apoliporotein B, CRP C-reactive protein, LDL-C low-density lipoprotein cholesterol
aMetS was defined as reported in Material and methods
bNAFLD was defined as having hepatic fat content (HFF) ≥ 5% at MRI30–32