Table 4.
Clinical characteristics of study subjects with and without significant and advanced liver fibrosis
| Variables | Significant fibrosis (≥F2) | P value | Advanced fibrosis (≥F3) | P value | ||
| ≤2.90 kPa | >2.90 kPa | <3.60 kPa | ≥3.60 kPa | |||
| Age, year | 46.9±10.8 | 50.3±10.6 | <0.001 | 47.1±10.7 | 52.7±10.9 | <0.001 |
| Sex, male | 5802 (78.4) | 687 (88.3) | <0.001 | 6303 (79.1) | 186 (86.9) | 0.005 |
| BMI, kg/m² | 24.7±3.2 | 26.2±3.6 | <0.001 | 24.8±3.2 | 26.2±3.9 | <0.001 |
| Overweight, ≥23–<25 kg/m² | 1862 (26.6) | 148 (20.3) | <0.001 | 1973 (26.2) | 37 (18.8) | <0.001 |
| Obese, ≥25 kg/m² | 3076 (43.9) | 455 (62.2) | 3414 (45.3) | 117 (59.4) | ||
| Abdominal obesity* | 2193 (30.6) | 374 (50.2) | <0.001 | 2469 (32) | 98 (48.8) | <0.001 |
| Diabetes | 711 (9.8) | 188 (25) | <0.001 | 816 (10.5) | 83 (41.1) | <0.001 |
| Hypertension | 1141 (15.7) | 172 (22.9) | <0.001 | 1257 (16.1) | 56 (27.6) | <0.001 |
| Metabolic syndrome | 1462 (20.4) | 265 (35.6) | <0.001 | 1654 (21.5) | 73 (36.5) | <0.001 |
| Excessive alcohol consumption | 1780 (36.9) | 178 (37.2) | 0.868 | 1913 (36.9) | 45 (34.6) | 0.587 |
| Current or former smoking | 2851 (58.9) | 313 (65.5) | 0.005 | 3076 (59.3) | 88 (67.7) | 0.054 |
| Fatty liver | 2823 (38.1) | 359 (46.1) | <0.001 | 3093 (38.8) | 89 (41.6) | 0.411 |
| PLT count, ×10³ μ/L | 247.1±52.2 | 227.1±61.9 | <0.001 | 246.3 ±52.6 | 205.9±71.3 | <0.001 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 4.53±0.27 | 4.47±0.29 | <0.001 | 4.52±0.27 | 4.41±0.33 | <0.001 |
| AST, U/L | 29.7±30.2 | 47.6±48.8 | <0.001 | 30.3±30.3 | 73.2±73.3 | <0.001 |
| ALT, U/L | 31.3±41.8 | 54.2±74.2 | <0.001 | 32.3±42.8 | 79.8±109.5 | <0.001 |
| GGT, U/L | 50.1±53.9 | 107.2±184.1 | <0.001 | 52.0±62.3 | 188.5±270.4 | <0.001 |
| AST and/or ALT >ULN† | 2078 (28.6) | 409 (54.2) | <0.001 | 2330 (29.8) | 157 (77) | <0.001 |
| FBS, mg/dL | 99.1±20.8 | 108.7±29 | <0.001 | 99.6±21.2 | 116.4±35.1 | <0.001 |
| HbA1c, % | 5.8±0.8 | 6.1±1.0 | <0.001 | 5.8±0.8 | 6.3±1.3 | <0.001 |
| TC, mg/dL | 201.0±38.2 | 194.0±40.3 | <0.001 | 200.6±38.3 | 190.2±44.6 | 0.002 |
| TG, mg/dL | 143.1±116.2 | 161.4±123.2 | <0.001 | 144.4±116.3 | 159.9±138.7 | 0.113 |
| HDL cholesterol, mg/dL | 53.4±13 | 50±12.6 | <0.001 | 53.2±12.9 | 49.8±13.9 | 0.001 |
| LDL cholesterol, mg/dL | 119.4±35 | 112.2±36.9 | <0.001 | 119±35.1 | 108.7±39 | <0.001 |
| HBsAg positivity | 381 (7.3) | 112 (20.4) | <0.001 | 449 (8) | 44 (32.4) | <0.001 |
| Anti-HCV positivity | 10 (0.3) | 1 (0.3) | 1.000 | 11 (0.3) | 0 (0) | 1.000 |
Data are mean±SD or N (%) values.
Frequencies might not add up to 100% due to missing data.
P values for the t-test, 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; 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; PLT, platelet; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglycerides; ULN, upper limit of normal.