Table 3.
Demographics of synchronous NAFLD and carotid artery plaque status.
| Variable | Synchronous fatty liver and carotid artery plaque (n = 56) | No fatty liver and No carotid artery plaque (n = 75) | P-value |
| Age, mean (SD), year | 54.21 (6.30) | 50.81 (7.94) | .009 |
| Sex (male %) | 50 (89%) | 43 (57%) | .000 |
| BMI, mean (SD), kg/m2 | 26.09 (2.93) | 22.04 (2.49) | .000 |
| HbA1c, mean (SD), % | 5.71 (0.75) | 5.40 (0.34) | .002 |
| Systolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm Hg | 124.68 (11.64) | 113.57 (12.95) | .000 |
| Diastolic blood pressure, mean (SD), mm Hg | 79.98 (12.65) | 72.61 (9.43) | .000 |
| Glucose AC, mean (SD), mg/dL | 102.70 (14.12) | 93.61 (10.17) | .000 |
| Total cholesterol, mean (SD), mg/dL | 209.80 (42.43) | 200.03 (32.14) | .137 |
| Triglyceride, mean (SD), mg/dL | 164.61 (82.32) | 102.61 (62.57) | .000 |
| LDL, mean (SD), mg/dL | 135.27 (38.23) | 121.42 (28.88) | .020 |
| Plasma hs-CRP, mean (SD), mg/L | 0.21 (0.32) | 0.17 (0.44) | .585 |
| Smoking, no. (%) | 10 (18%) | 15 (20%) | .000 |
| Anti-platelet agent used, no. (%) | 6 (11%) | 2 (3%) | .000 |
| Anti-lipid agent used, no. (%) | 8 (14%) | 2 (3%) | .000 |
| DM control agent used, no. (%) | 4 (7%) | 0 (0%) | .000 |
| Hypertension control agent used, no. (%) | 16 (29%) | 2 (3%) | .000 |
| Hb A1c level ≥6.5%, no. (%) | 5 (9%) | 0 (0% | .000 |
| TMAO, mean (SD), μM | 1.98 (1.22) | 2.58 (6.81) | .640 |
| Endotoxin, mean (SD), EU/mL | 0.64 (0.87) | 0.64 (1.20) | .987 |
AC = ante cibum; BMI = body mass index; CRP = C-reactive protein; DM = diabetes mellitus; HbA1c = hemoglobin A1C; LDL = low-density lipoprotein; NAFLD = non-alcoholic fatty liver disease; no. = number; SD = standard deviation; TMAO = trimethylamine-N-oxide.