Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Study Population
| Variables | Overall (n=16,541) | Group 1 | Group 2 | Group 3 | Group 4 | P value* | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Control of ALT (n = 10,700) | Elevated ALT (n=1,100) | Control of ALT + Hepatic Steatosis (n=3,573) | Elevated ALT + Hepatic Steatosis (n=1,168) | Post Hoc** | |||||
| Age (years) | 45.5 ± 10.7 | 44.3 ± 10.8 | 45.6 ± 10.5 | 48.0 ± 10.2 | 47.9 ± 9.9 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e | ||
| Male sex (%) | 48.8 | 41.6 | 41.1 | 69.1 | 60.5 | < 0.001 | – | ||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.1 ± 2.9 | 22.2 ± 2.6 | 23.1 ± 2.9 | 25.0 ± 2.6 | 25.7 ± 2.8 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| Systolic BP (mmHg) | 121.2 ± 15.4 | 118.8 ± 15.0 | 121.2 ± 15.6 | 126.7 ± 14.7 | 128.3 ± 14.7 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| Diastolic BP (mmHg) | 75.7 ± 10.1 | 74.0 ± 9.8 | 75.4 ± 10.0 | 79.3 ± 9.6 | 80.3 ± 9.7 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| AST (IU/L) | 19.6 ± 4.9 | 18.4 ± 4.0 | 26.0 ± 5.9 | 19.5 ± 4.1 | 25.1 ± 5.4 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| ALT (IU/L) | 18.6 ± 7.4 | 15.5 ± 5.0 | 30.5 ± 4.9 | 19.8 ± 5.4 | 32.3 ± 4.5 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| GGT (IU/L) | 26.7 ± 23.8 | 21.7 ± 17.3 | 40.7 ± 39.2 | 31.5 ± 22.7 | 45.0 ± 37.9 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| FPG (mg/dl) | 91.0 ± 9.7 | 89.3 ± 8.9 | 90.1 ± 9.9 | 94.6 ± 9.8 | 96.1 ± 10.8 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 188.1 ± 33.0 | 183.5 ± 31.6 | 190.2 ± 33.9 | 196.1 ± 33.2 | 203.9 ± 34.3 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| Triglyceride (mg/dl) | 117.5 ± 78.0 | 98.6 ± 51.9 | 117.7 ± 77.1 | 156.7 ± 104.1 | 171.4 ± 109.2 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e,f | ||
| HDL-C (mg/dl) | 54.0 ± 12.7 | 56.5 ± 12.7 | 55.3 ± 13.7 | 48.0 ± 10.3 | 47.9 ± 10.3 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,d,e | ||
| hsCRP (mg/L) | 1.3 ± 3.3 | 1.1 ± 2.7 | 1.4 ± 4.3 | 1.6 ± 3.6 | 2.0 ± 5.7 | < 0.001 | a,b,c,e,f | ||
| Current smoker (%) | 23.1 | 20.5 | 25.7 | 28.5 | 28.6 | < 0.001 | - | ||
| Alcohol drinking (%) *** | 42.7 | 41.5 | 39.8 | 46.9 | 43.8 | < 0.001 | - | ||
| Regular exercise (%) # | 32.0 | 32.6 | 30.6 | 31.1 | 30.2 | 0.151 | - | ||
| Hypertension (%) | 20.4 | 15.3 | 20.6 | 30.1 | 37.1 | < 0.001 | - | ||
| Hepatic steatosis severity ## | 0.5 ± 1.0 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 0.0 ± 0.0 | 1.6 ± 1.0 | 2.2 ± 1.3 | < 0.001 | b,c,d,e,f | ||
| NAFLD by HSI score (%) | 14.0 | 4.2 | 27.3 | 23.8 | 60.5 | < 0.001 | - | ||
Notes: *P values were calculated using 1-way ANOVA test or Pearson’s chi-square test; **Post hoc analysis with Bonferroni method for mean difference between groups: aGroup 1 versus Group 2; bGroup 1 versus Group 3, cGroup 1 versus Group 4; dGroup 2 versus Group 3; eGroup 2 versus Group 4, and fGroup 3 versus Group 4; ***Alcohol intake ≥ 140 g/week; #Moderate intensity physical exercise ≥ three times/week; ##Average grade of hepatic steatosis via ultrasound.
Abbreviations: BMI, body mass index; BP, blood pressure; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; GGT, γ-glutamyltransferase; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; HDL-C, high density-lipoprotein cholesterol; hsCRP, high sensitivity C-reactive protein; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; HSI, hepatic steatosis index.