Table 2.
Comparison of characteristics for participants with NAFLD with/without adverse muscle composition.
| NAFLD and adverse muscle composition | NAFLD without adverse muscle composition | p value | p value (adjusted) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Participants, n | 169 | 1,035 | – | – |
| Females, % | 41.42 | 47.34 | 0.153 | 1.000 |
| Age, years | 66.09 (6.75) | 62.38 (7.47) | <0.001 | – |
| Weight, kg | 88.30 (14.53) | 85.99 (15.85) | 0.077 | 0.610 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 30.87 (4.58) | 30.02 (4.78) | 0.032 | – |
| Overweight (BMI>25 kg/m2), % | 95.27 | 87.05 | 0.003 | 0.998 |
| Visceral adipose tissue volume, L | 6.72 (2.44) | 5.50 (2.01) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue volume, L | 10.04 (3.56) | 9.17 (3.78) | 0.005 | <0.001 |
| Appendicular lean mass/height2, kg/m2 | 7.48 (1.04) | 8.02 (1.32) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Liver fat, % | 8.40 (6.41–12.89) | 8.95 (6.51–13.61) | 0.783 | – |
| Muscle composition | ||||
| Fat-tissue free muscle volume (FFMV), L | 9.80 (1.96) | 11.19 (2.60) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Muscle volume z-score (FFMVVCG), SD | −1.30 (0.47) | 0.19 (0.83) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Muscle fat infiltration, % | 10.10 (2.11) | 7.70 (1.87) | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Adverse muscle composition, % | 100.00 | 0.00 | – | – |
| Only high muscle fat, % | 0.00 | 27.63 | – | – |
| Only low muscle volume, % | 0.00 | 11.50 | – | – |
| Normal muscle composition, % | 0.00 | 60.87 | – | – |
| Functional performance & metabolic comorbidity | ||||
| Sarcopenia, % | 5.92 | 0.87 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Low hand grip strength, % | 10.65 | 5.99 | 0.028 | 0.079 |
| Slow walking pace, % | 16.57 | 7.73 | <0.001 | 0.004 |
| No stair climbing, % | 15.38 | 8.99 | 0.011 | 0.193 |
| More than one fall in the past year, % | 12.43 | 5.22 | <0.001 | 0.001 |
| Coronary heart disease (prevalent), % | 19.53 | 5.89 | <0.001 | <0.001 |
| Coronary heart disease (incident), % | 4.14 | 1.93 | 0.053 | 0.184 |
| Type 2 diabetes, % | 23.67 | 11.50 | <0.001 | 0.001 |
| Biomarker panel∗ | ||||
| Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c), mmol/mol | 38.83 (6.69) | 36.88 (6.55) | 0.001 | 0.036 |
| Glucose, mmol/L | 5.48 (1.68) | 5.21 (1.32) | 0.028 | 0.174 |
| Albumin, g/L | 45.09 (2.37) | 45.49 (2.43) | 0.060 | 0.247 |
| Direct bilirubin, μmol/L | 1.83 (0.76) | 1.81 (0.75) | 0.691 | 0.848 |
| Total bilirubin, μmol/L | 9.07 (3.99) | 9.24 (4.65) | 0.669 | 0.553 |
| Gamma glutamyltransferase, U/L | 42.57 (37.07) | 38.14 (35.62) | 0.150 | 0.276 |
| Alanine aminotransferase (ALT), U/L | 27.95 (14.38) | 29.41 (16.36) | 0.292 | 0.198 |
| Aspartate aminotransferase (AST), U/L | 27.06 (8.61) | 27.79 (10.37) | 0.404 | 0.121 |
| Cholesterol, mmol/L | 5.63 (1.30) | 5.70 (1.11) | 0.503 | 0.915 |
| HDL cholesterol, mmol/L | 1.25 (0.30) | 1.23 (0.27) | 0.456 | 0.251 |
| LDL direct, mmol/L | 3.58 (0.97) | 3.67 (0.84) | 0.223 | 0.505 |
| Triglycerides, mmol/L | 2.32 (1.33) | 2.22 (1.11) | 0.350 | 0.314 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 3.38 (3.09) | 2.93 (3.95) | 0.173 | 0.231 |
| AST:ALT | 1.10 (0.41) | 1.06 (0.35) | 0.178 | 0.200 |
| Fibrosis-4 | 1.26 (0.51) | 1.23 (0.48) | 0.448 | 0.033 |
| NAFLD fibrosis score | −1.87 (1.08) | −2.07 (1.06) | 0.048 | 0.189 |
Adverse muscle composition: low thigh muscle volume (FFMVVCG) and high muscle fat infiltration. Values are presented as mean (SD); liver fat data are presented as median (IQR). The p values represent comparison between NAFLD with/without adverse muscle composition tested using two-propotions z-test (binary variables), Wilcoxon signed-rank test (continuous variables) and logist/linear regression adjusted for sex, age and BMI. The p values are shown for unadjusted and adjusted (sex, age, BMI, liver fat) modelling.
NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; VCG, virtual control group adjusted.
Data extracted from baseline assessment (years 2006–2010).