Table 1.
Clinical characteristics of the NAFLD cohort
| Data not available | NAS 0–4 | NAS 5–8/LCI | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total n | 29 | 44 | ||
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, years | 51.9 (28.8–74.2) | 58.9 (20.2–79.6) | .003 | |
| Gender female, n (%) | 13 (44.8) | 24 (54.5) | .478 | |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 29.4 (22.5–52.9) | 31.0 (21.9–46.5) | .031 | |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 14 | 106.0 (84.0–130.0) | 113 (81.0–143.0) | .048 |
| Type 2 diabetes, n (%) | 3 (10.3) | 13 (29.5) | .082 | |
| Arterial hypertension, n (%) | 15 (51.7) | 34 (77.3) | .040 | |
| Metabolic syndrome (IDF criteria), n | 9 (31.0) | 24 (54.5) | .057 | |
| (Proton pump inhibitor use, n (%) %) | 1 (3.4) | 10 (22.7) | .041 | |
| Metformin use, n (%) | 2 (6.9) | 11 (25.0) | .063 | |
| Laboratory parameters | ||||
| AST, U/L | 1 | 28.0 (17.0–48.0) | 43.5 (22.0–189.0) | < .001 |
| ALT, U/L | 1 | 36.0 (16.0–97.0) | 54.0 (20.0–239.0) | .002 |
| GGT, U/L | 1 | 79.5 (14.0–732.0) | 71.5 (29.0–334.0) | .876 |
| Alkaline phosphatase, U/L | 1 | 74.5 (43.0–164.0) | 74.5 (43.0–150.0) | .699 |
| Bilirubin, mg/dL | 2 | 0.6 (0.3–1.9) | 0.5 (0.2–2.7) | .593 |
| Albumin, g/L | 2 | 45.0 (40.0–51.0) | 44.0 (34.0–50.0) | .041 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 1 | 120.0 (42.0–1104.0) | 166.0 (55.0–484.0) | .082 |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 1 | 187.0 (104.0–274.0) | 189.5 (104.0–329.0) | .675 |
| HDL cholesterol mg/dL | 6 | 54.0 (16.0–82.0) | 45.0 (27.0–96.0) | .103 |
| LDL cholesterol mg/dL | 8 | 112.0 (47.0–184.0) | 115.0 (42.0–247.0) | .801 |
| Fasting glucose, mg/dL | 1 | 93.5 (80.0–147.0) | 101.0 (63.0–196.0) | .086 |
| HbA1c, % | 7 | 5.3 (4.7–6.6) | 5.6 (4.7–8.3) | .080 |
| Alpha-fetoprotein kU/L | 8 | 2.0 (1.0–10.0) | 3.0 (1.0–85.0) | .055 |
| Creatinine, mg/dL | 1 | 0.8 (0.6–1.4) | 0.8 (0.5–1.3) | .963 |
| Urea, mg/dL | 1 | 28.0 (15.0–45.0) | 29.0 (15.0–48.0) | .655 |
| Uric acid, mg/dL | 1 | 5.9 (2.9–10.5) | 6.2 (2.2–8.7) | .693 |
| Ferritin, μg/L | 1 | 204.0 (19.0–592.0) | 211.5 (16.0–2187.0) | .371 |
| White blood cell count, x1E9/L | 1 | 6.6 (3.7–11.2) | 6.9 (4.0–10.3) | .764 |
| C-reactive protein, mg/L | 2 | 0.0 (0.0–15.5) | 2.1 (0.0–22.9) | .091 |
| Immunoglobulin G, g/L | 3 | 9.9 (6.8–17.3) | 10.9 (6.0–19.2) | .073 |
| Immunoglobulin A, g/L | 3 | 2.4 (0.8–3.9) | 2.5 (0.7–7.4) | .564 |
| Immunoglobulin M, g/L | 3 | 0.9 (0.3–2.6) | 1.0 (0.3–2.6) | .890 |
| Platelet count, x1E9/L | 1 | 232.5 (132.0–386.0) | 213.5 (74.0–373.0) | .181 |
| INR | 1 | 1.0 (0.9–1.1) | 1.0 (0.9–2.4) | .167 |
| Liver histology data of biopsy-proven cohort (n=64) | Scoring | |||
| Total n | 29 | 35 | ||
| Grade of steatosis, n (%) | 0 | 0 (0.0) | 0 (0.0) | |
| 1 | 14 (48.3) | 5 (14.3) | .001 | |
| 2 | 13 (44.8) | 14 (40.0) | ||
| 3 | 2 (6.9) | 16 (45.7) | ||
| Ballooning, n (%) | 0 | 14 (48.3) | 1 (2.9) | < .001 |
| 1 | 14 (48.3) | 16 (45.7) | ||
| 2 | 1 (3.4) | 18 (51.4) | ||
| Grade of inflammation, n (%) | 0 | 9 (31.0) | 0 (0.0) | < .001 |
| 1 | 19 (65.5) | 14 (40.0) | ||
| 2 | 1 (3.4) | 20 (57.1) | ||
| 3 | 0 (0.0) | 1 (2.9) | ||
| Stage of fibrosis, n (%) | 0 | 16 (55.2) | 1 (2.9) | < .001 |
| 1 | 11 (37.9) | 9 (25.7) | ||
| 2 | 2 (6.9) | 11 (31.4) | ||
| 3 | 0 (0.0) | 6 (17.1) | ||
| 4 | 0 (0.0) | 8 (22.9) |
Values are presented as median and range in parentheses or number and percentage. Bold font indicates significance (P value equal or below .05). If liver biopsy was performed (n = 64 patients with NAFLD), samples were evaluated by an experienced liver pathologist who was blinded for all clinical and laboratory patient data. The NASH clinical research network histological scoring system was used to evaluate disease activity and severity. The NAFLD activity score (NAS) was obtained for each biopsy. This score is defined as the unweighted sum of the scores for steatosis, (0–3), lobular inflammation (0–3), and ballooning (0–2); thus ranging from 0 to 8. ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; GGT, gamma-glutamyl-transferase; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin; INR, international normalized ratio; HDL, High-density lipoprotein; LCI, liver cirrhosis; LDL, Low-density lipoprotein; NAS, NAFLD activity score.