Table 2.
Subgroup meta-analysis by region, type of study, diagnostic method and group size for the summarized proportion of NAFLD patients with normal ALT in overall NAFLD patients
| Variable | Summarized proportion | 95% CI | I2 | P value | Number of studies |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall estimate | 0.24 | [0.19; 0.30] | 92% | < 0.01 | 11 |
| Region | |||||
| North America | 0.24 | [0.16; 0.36] | 97% | < 0.01 | 4 |
| Asia | 0.30 | [0.25; 0.35] | 52% | 0.05 | 4 |
| Europe | 0.19 | [0.14; 0.26] | 72% | < 0.01 | 3 |
| Type of study | |||||
| Retrospective cohort study | 0.21 | [0.16; 0.28] | 87% | < 0.01 | 6 |
| Prospective cohort study | 0.32 | [0.22; 0.43] | 85% | < 0.01 | 3 |
| Cross-sectional analysis | 0.27 | [0.19; 0.37] | 85% | < 0.01 | 2 |
| Diagnostic method | |||||
| Histology | 0.22 | [0.17; 0.28] | 85% | < 0.01 | 8 |
| MRI | 0.43 | [0.39; 0.38] | NA | NA | 1 |
| Ultrasonography | 0.26 | [0.20; 0.34] | 83% | < 0.01 | 2 |
| Group size | |||||
| More than 300 | 0.22 | [0.14; 0.31] | 97% | < 0.01 | 5 |
| 300 or less than 300 | 0.27 | [0.23; 0.33] | 46% | 0.06 | 6 |
Abbreviation: CI Confidence interval