Table 1.
Characteristics of 368 patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
| Parameter | NAFLD patients (n = 368) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Conventional cohort (n = 143) | Morbidly obese cohort (n = 225) | p value | |
| Age, years (IQR) | 47 (35–56) | 52 (35–60) | 45 (35–51) | <0.001 |
| Sex (females), n (%) | 210 (57) | 62 (43) | 148 (66) | <0.001 |
| Concomitant diseases | ||||
| Preexisting diseases | ||||
| Diabetes mellitus, n (%) | 133 (36) | 39 (27) | 94 (42) | <0.01 |
| Arterial hypertension, n (%) | 226 (61) | 68 (48) | 158 (70) | <0.001 |
| Hyperlipidemia, n (%) | 182 (50) | 28 (20) | 154 (68) | <0.001 |
| Findings during evaluation for biopsy | ||||
| Impaired fasting glucose or diabetes, n (%) | 179 (49) | 58 (41) | 121 (54) | <0.05 |
| Total cholesterol ≥200 mg/dl, n (%) | 143 (39) | 64 (45) | 79 (35) | 0.064 |
| Triglycerides ≥170 mg/dl, n (%) | 203 (55) | 76 (53) | 127 (56) | 0.535 |
| Body mass | ||||
| Height, m (IQR) | 172 (165–179) | 174 (164–181) | 172 (165–178) | 0.182 |
| Weight, kg (IQR) | 126 (94–158) | 87 (75–100) | 147 (128–170) | <0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 42.9 (31.1–53.2) | 29.0 (26.2–32.5) | 50.8 (44.7–56.8) | <0.001 |
| Overweight, n (%) | 57 (16) | 57 (40) | 0 | |
| Obesity, n (%) | 285 (77) | 60 (42) | 226 (100) | |
| Excess body weight, kg (IQR) | 61 (26–92) | 21 (12–31) | 84 (65–105) | <0.001 |
| Biopsy findings | ||||
| Fibrosis grade (IQR) | 1 (0–1) | 1 (0–3) | 0 (0–1) | <0.001 |
| No fibrosis, n (%) | 156 (42) | 36 (25) | 120 (53) | |
| Grade 1, n (%) | 122 (33) | 41 (29) | 81 (36) | |
| Grade 2, n (%) | 32 (9) | 21 (15) | 11 (5) | |
| Grade 3, n (%) | 22 (6) | 19 (13) | 3 (1) | |
| Grade 4/cirrhosis, n (%) | 36 (10) | 26 (18) | 10 (5) | |
| Liver fat content, % (IQR) | 30 (10–50) | 20 (10–40) | 40 (15–60) | <0.01 |
| NAS score (IQR)a | 4 (3–5) | 4 (3–5) | 4 (3–5) | <0.01 |
| Laboratory parameters | ||||
| AST, IU/l (IQR) | 29 (19–50) | 51 (33–73) | 22 (16–31) | <0.001 |
| ALT, IU/l (IQR) | 41 (25–72) | 75 (50–133) | 29 (19–44) | <0.001 |
| Gamma-glutaryltransferase, IU/l (IQR) | 51 (30–113) | 113 (66–238) | 35 (25–57) | <0.001 |
| Bilirubin, mg/dl (IQR)b | 0.5 (0.4–0.6) | 0.5 (0.4–0.7) | 0.4 (0.3–0.6) | <0.001 |
| Albumin, mg/dl (IQR) | 39 (36–41) | 40 (37–43) | 38 (36–40) | <0.001 |
| Platelets, 109/l (IQR) | 272 (226–325) | 236 (189–275) | 298 (249–348) | <0.001 |
| INR (IQR)c | 1.0 (0.9–1.0) | 1.0 (1.0–1.1) | 1.0 (0.9–1.0) | <0.001 |
aAvailable in 336 patients (91%, missing in 32 morbidly obese patients).
bAvailable in 293 patients (80%, missing in 75 morbidly obese patients).
cAvailable in 346 patients (94%, missing in 22 morbidly obese patients).