Table 1.
Characteristics of the study population.
| Healthy Controls (Group 1) (n = 25) |
NAFLD (Group 2 and 3) (n = 50) |
p Value | NAFL (Group 2) (n = 25) |
NASH (Group 3) (n = 25) |
p Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Males, n (%) | 12 (48) | 24 (48) | 1.000 | 13 (52) | 11 (44) | 0.571 |
| Age (years) | 36.7 ± 15.0 | 51.2 ± 15.0 | <0.001 | 45.8 ± 16.2 | 56.6 ± 11.6 | 0.006 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 24.8 ± 5.2 | 31.3 ± 8.9 | <0.001 | 31.2 ± 8.9 | 31.4 ± 9.0 | 0.764 |
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 2 (8) | 10 (20) | 0.184 | 3 (12) | 7 (28) | 0.162 |
| Hypertension, n (%) | 1 (4) | 20 (40) | 0.001 | 8 (32) | 12 (48) | 0.253 |
| AST (U/L) | 24.4 ± 14.1 | 36.0 ± 24.0 | 0.11 | 29.0 ± 20.0 | 43.0 ± 26.0 | 0.013 |
| ALT (U/L) | 22.5 ± 15.7 | 50.2 ± 43.1 | <0.001 | 36.4 ± 31.4 | 64.0 ± 49.0 | 0.005 |
| Total bilirubin (mg/dL) | 0.6 ± 0.3 | 0.8 ± 0.4 | 0.07 | 0.7 ± 0.4 | 0.8 ± 0.4 | 0.194 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 4.2 ± 0.4 | 4.6 ± 0.3 | <0.001 | 4.5 ± 0.3 | 4.6 ± 0.2 | 0.322 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 0.7 ± 0.2 | 0.9 ± 0.8 | 0.123 | 1.0 ± 1.1 | 0.8 ± 0.2 | 0.445 |
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 176.2 ± 30.1 | 199.3 ± 40.0 | 0.009 | 207.5 ± 44.0 | 191.8 ± 35.2 | 0.227 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 97.6 ± 55.0 | 148.2 ± 61.5 | <0.001 | 131.4 ± 67.5 | 163.6 ± 52.1 | 0.021 |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dL) | 94.8 ± 15.5 | 112.0 ± 28.6 | 0.001 | 105.6 ± 35.6 | 118.0 ± 24.8 | 0.008 |
| Glycohemoglobin (%) | 5.6 ± 0.5 | 6.5 ± 1.4 | <0.001 | 6.1 ± 1.4 | 6.9 ± 1.2 | 0.005 |
| Insulin (uU/mL) | 9.9 ± 9.2 | 17.3 ± 23.5 | 0.002 | 10.7 ± 5.2 | 23.2 ± 31.2 | 0.001 |
| Insulin/GLU | 0.08 ± 0.04 | 0.16 ± 0.24 | 0.012 | 0.1 ± 0.04 | 0.2 ± 0.3 | 0.004 |
| HOMA-IR | 2.0 ± 1.2 | 4.8 ± 6.1 | 0.002 | 2.7 ± 1.6 | 6.6 ± 8.0 | 0.002 |
| Steatosis (%) | 0 (0–1) | 30 (10–46.25) | <0.001 | 10 (7.5–30) | 40 (27.5–55) | <0.001 |
| Fibrosis (F0/F1/F2/F3) | 25/0/0/0 | 28/16/5/1 | <0.001 | 23/2/0/0 | 5/14/5/1 | <0.001 |
| NAS | 0 | 3 (0–4) | <0.001 | 0 (0–2) | 4 (4–5) | <0.001 |
Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation, median (interquartile range), or number (percentage). Abbreviations: ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, alanine aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; HOMA-IR, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; NAFL, nonalcoholic fatty liver; NASH, nonalcoholic steatohepatitis; NAS, NAFLD activity score.