Table 3.
Clinical and laboratory characteristics of study subjects according to liver fibrosis category using MRE
| Variables | Normal (<1.94 kPa) |
Mild fibrosis (1.94–2.90 kPa) |
Significant fibrosis (2.91–3.59 kPa) |
Advanced fibrosis (≥3.60 kPa) |
P |
| Age, years | 46.0±10.5a | 47.2±10.8b | 49.4± 10.3c | 52.4±10.9d | <0.001 |
| Sex, male | 1085 (66.6) | 4717 (81.7) | 501 (88.8) | 186 (86.9) | <0.001 |
| BMI, kg/m² | 24±3.1a | 24.9±3.2b | 26.2± 3.5c | 26.1± 3.9c | <0.001 |
| Overweight,≥23 to<25 kg/m² | 423 (27.7) | 1439 (26.3) | 111 (20.8) | 37 (18.8) | <0.001 |
| Obese,≥25 kg/m² | 513 (33.6) | 2563 (46.8) | 338 (63.3) | 117 (59.4) | |
| Abdominal obesity† | 387 (24.3) | 1806 (32.4) | 276 (50.7) | 98 (48.8) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes | 101 (6.3) | 610 (10.8) | 105 (19.1) | 83 (41.1) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 213 (13.3) | 928 (16.4) | 116 (21.1) | 56 (27.6) | <0.001 |
| Metabolic syndrome | 260 (16.4) | 1202 (21.6) | 192 (35.2) | 73 (36.5) | <0.001 |
| Excessive alcohol consumption | 386 (36.1) | 1394 (37.1) | 133 (38.2) | 45 (34.6) | 0.837 |
| Current or former smoking | 578 (54) | 2273 (60.3) | 225 (64.7) | 88 (67.7) | <0.001 |
| Fatty liver | 521 (31.9) | 2302 (39.9) | 270 (47.9) | 89 (41.6) | <0.001 |
| PLT count,×10 9/L | 254.3±53.8d | 245.1± 51.5c | 234.7±56.4b | 205.9±71.3a | <0.001 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 4.54± 0.28c | 4.52±0.27b, c | 4.49±0.27b | 4.41±0.33a | <0.001 |
| AST, U/L | 27.9±12.5a | 30.2±33.5a | 38.2±30.7b | 73.2± 73.3c | <0.001 |
| ALT, U/L | 27.6±19.2a | 32.4±46.2b | 44.7± 52.9c | 79.8±109.5d | <0.001 |
| GGT, U/L | 42.0±49.6a | 52.4±54.9b | 77.2± 126.9c | 188.5±270.4d | <0.001 |
| AST and/or ALT>ULN‡ | 392 (24.5) | 1686 (29.8) | 252 (45.7) | 157 (77) | <0.001 |
| FBS, mg/dL | 97.3±19.2a | 99.6±21.2b | 105.9± 25.9c | 116.4±35.1d | <0.001 |
| HbA1c, % | 5.7±0.6a | 5.8±0.8b | 6± 0.9c | 6.3±1.3d | <0.001 |
| TC, mg/dL | 204.5± 37.0c | 200.0±38.5b | 195.3±38.6a, b | 190.2±44.6a | <0.001 |
| TG, mg/dL | 129.7±97.6a | 146.9±120.6b | 161.9± 117.3c | 159.9±138.7b, c | <0.001 |
| HDL cholesterol, mg/dL | 55.4± 13.1c | 52.8±12.9b | 50±12.1a | 49.8±13.9a | <0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol, mg/dL | 123.3± 34.6c | 118.3±35b | 113.5±36a | 108.7±39a | <0.001 |
| HBs Ag positivity | 67 (5.5) | 314 (7.9) | 68 (16.4) | 44 (32.4) | <0.001 |
| Anti-HCV positivity | 3 (0.3) | 7 (0.3) | 1 (0.4) | 0 (0) | 0.821 |
Data are mean±SD or N (%) values.
Frequencies might not add up to 100% due to missing data.
a, b, c, d: Different letters indicate a significant difference between groups based on Scheffe’s multiple-comparisons test.
*P values were derived from one-way ANOVA, the Χ2 test and Fisher’s exact test.
†Abdominal obesity: ≥90 cm for men and ≥85 cm for women.
‡ULN was 33 U/L for AST and 38 U/L for ALT.
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; ANOVA, analysis of variance; AST, aspartate transaminase; BMI, body mass index; FBS, fasting blood sugar; GGT, gamma glutamyl transpeptidase; HbA1c, glycated haemoglobin; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; MRE, magnetic resonance elastography; PLT, platelet; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; ULN, upper limit of normal.