Table 1.
Clinical features of the two groups.
| Characteristic | Control (n = 72) | MAFLD (n = 113) | p-Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Male/female | 28/44 | 78/35 | 0.000*(χ²) |
| Age | 40.5 (35, 49) | 50 (41, 56) | 0.000*(U) |
| History of smoking (%) | 30.8 | 43.6 | 0.287 (χ²) |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 22.55 (20.00, 24.90) | 25.71 (23.95, 28.15) | 0.000* (U) |
| BMI ≥23 kg/m2 (%) | 45.8 | 86.7 | 0.000* (χ²) |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.1 (5.0, 5.3) | 6.8 (5.4, 8.8) | 0.000*(U) |
| T2DM (%) | – | 56.6 | |
| IGT (%) | – | 7.1 | |
| SBP | 120 (116, 125) | 127 (117, 131) | 0.162 (U) |
| DBP | 74 (70, 82) | 78 (72, 85) | 0.097 (U) |
| HTN (%) | – | 35.9 | |
| ALT (U/L) | 11.55 (9.0, 17.8) | 22.00 (15.0, 36.1) | 0.000* (U) |
| AST (U/L) | 17 (15.0, 19.9) | 20.10 (16.6, 25.0) | 0.000* (U) |
| TC (µ/L) | 4.38 (3.98, 4.90) | 4.77 (4.08, 5.24) | 0.022* (U) |
| TG (µmol/L) | 1.03 (0.75, 1.34) | 1.80 (1.31, 3.08) | 0.000*(U) |
| HTG (%) | – | 54 | |
| HDL-C (µmol/L) | 1.39 (1.18, 1.62) | 1.00 (0.84, 1.25) | 0.000* (U) |
| Hypo-HDL (%) | – | 62.8 | |
| LDL-C (µmol/L) | 2.68 (2.20, 3.21) | 2.90 (2.37, 3.61) | 0.055 (U) |
| UA (µmol/L) | 274.0 (220.8, 335.3) | 334.7 (276.5, 385.7) | 0.000* (U) |
| Hsp90α (ng/ml) | 2.38 (1.21, 3.50) | 4.65 (3.00, 8.28) | 0.000* (U) |
BMI, body mass index; HbA1c, glycosylated hemoglobin; T2DM, type 2 diabetes mellitus; IGT, impaired glucose tolerance; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; HTN, hypertension; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; HTG, hypertriglyceridemia; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; hypo-HDL, hypo-HDL-cholesterolemia; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; UA, uric acid; Hsp, heat shock protein.
Results are expressed as medians (Q25, Q75).
The significance was determined using the Chi-square test (χ²) or the Mann-Whitney U test (U). Bold values mean statistical significant. *p < 0.05.