Table 1.
Characteristics of biopsy-proven NAFLD patients compared with controls
| Biopsy-proven NAFLD patients (n=223) | Controls (n=205) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 55.6±12.5 | 51.0±12.5 | <0.001 |
| Male | 117 (52.5) | 87 (42.4) | 0.038 |
| Ethnicity | 0.021 | ||
| Malay | 113 (50.7) | 71 (34.6) | |
| Chinese | 61 (27.4) | 86 (42.0) | |
| Indian | 49 (22.0) | 48 (23.4) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.0±4.7 | 22.0±2.2 | <0.001 |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.5±1.5 | 5.5±0.5 | <0.001 |
| Total cholesterol (mmol/L) | 5.1±1.1 | 4.6±0.7 | <0.001 |
| Triglyceride (mmol/L) | 1.7±0.7 | 1.2±0.4 | <0.001 |
| HDL (mmol/L) | 1.2±0.3 | 1.3±0.4 | <0.001 |
| LDL (mmol/L) | 3.2±1.0 | 2.3±0.5 | <0.001 |
| ALT (U/L) | 81.4±46.8 | 33.8±17.4 | <0.001 |
| AST (U/L) | 45.6±25.9 | 22.1±9.3 | <0.001 |
| GGT (U/L) | 106.8±106.3 | 41.2±26.0 | <0.001 |
| Liver histological features | |||
| Steatosis | |||
| 0 | 0 (0.0) | ||
| 1 | 65 (29.1) | ||
| 2 | 103 (46.2) | ||
| 3 | 55 (24.7) | ||
| Lobular inflammation | |||
| 0 | 7 (3.1) | ||
| 1 | 126 (56.5) | ||
| 2 | 86 (38.6) | ||
| 3 | 4 (1.8) | ||
| Hepatocyte ballooning | |||
| 0 | 37 (16.6) | ||
| 1 | 125 (56.1) | ||
| 2 | 61 (27.4) | ||
| NASH | 175 (78.5) | ||
| Fibrosis | |||
| 0 | 50 (22.4) | ||
| 1 | 89 (39.9) | ||
| 2 | 43 (19.3) | ||
| 3 | 36 (16.1) | ||
| 4 | 5 (2.2) |
Values are presented as mean±standard deviation or number (%).
NAFLD, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; BMI, body mass index; HbA1c, haemoglobin A1c; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transferase; NASH, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.