Table 5.
HR (95% CI) for incident total stroke by sex-specific quartiles of liver enzymes at baseline after exclusion of individuals with NAFLD at baseline
| Variable | n/total no. | Model 1 | Model 2 | Model 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AST | ||||
| Q1 | 307/3,730 | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Q2 | 250/3,405 | 0.83 (0.70–0.98) | 0.87 (0.73–1.03) | 0.89 (0.76–1.06) |
| Q3 | 222/2,647 | 0.93 (0.79–1.11) | 1.00 (0.84–1.19) | 1.01 (0.85–1.20) |
| Q4 | 182/2,106 | 0.96 (0.80–1.16) | 1.04 (0.86–1.25) | 1.03 (0.86–1.24) |
| P for linear trend | 0.835 | 0.511 | 0.575 | |
| ALT | ||||
| Q1 | 284/3,395 | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Q2 | 237/3,139 | 0.85 (0.72–1.01) | 0.87 (0.73–1.03) | 0.86 (0.72–1.02) |
| Q3 | 241/3,067 | 0.89 (0.75–1.06) | 0.91 (0.76–1.08) | 0.86 (0.72–1.02) |
| Q4 | 199/2,287 | 1.06 (0.89–1.27) | 1.07 (0.89–1.29) | 0.94 (0.78–1.13) |
| P for linear trend | 0.658 | 0.615 | 0.399 | |
| GGT | ||||
| Q1 | 227/3,574 | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) | 1 (reference) |
| Q2 | 211/2,831 | 1.08 (0.89–1.30) | 1.04 (0.86–1.25) | 0.94 (0.78–1.14) |
| Q3 | 245/2,944 | 1.21 (1.01–1.45) | 1.13 (0.93–1.36) | 0.97 (0.80–1.17) |
| Q4 | 278/2,539 | 1.65 (1.38–1.98) | 1.51 (1.25–1.82) | 1.19 (0.98–1.44) |
| P for linear trend | <0.001 | <0.001 | 0.068 |
Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study population, visit 2, 1990–1992 through December 31, 2016. AST levels (U/L): men Q1 <12, Q2 12–15, Q3 16–21, Q4 ≥25; women Q1 <16, Q2 16–18, Q3 19–21, Q4 ≥22. ALT levels (U/L): men Q1 <18, Q2 18–21, Q3 21–25, Q4 ≥22; women Q1 <12, Q2 10–12, Q3 13–16, Q4 ≥17. GGT levels (U/L): men Q1 <18, Q2 18–24, Q3 25–37, Q4 ≥38; women Q1 <13, Q2 13–17, Q3 18–28, Q4 ≥29. Model 1: Adjusted for age, sex, race-center; Model 2: Model 1+body mass index, smoking status, drinking status, education level; Model 3: Model 2+systolic blood pressure, hypertension medication, prevalent coronary heart disease, diabetes, high-density lipoprotein, total cholesterol, and lipids medication. Six hundred ninety-seven ARIC participants with NAFLD defined as elevated AST or ALT, and , consuming 21 standard drinks on average per week in men or 14 standard drinks on average per week in women.
HR, hazard ratio; CI, confidence interval; NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase.