Table 1.
Comparison of baseline characters between both arms
| BCAA (n = 30)# | Placebo (n = 30)# | p value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 42.26 ± 10.07 | 40.83 ± 9.80 | 0.663 |
| Gender | 0.584 | ||
|
Males Females |
19 (63.3%) 11 (36.7%) |
21 (70%) 9 (30%) |
|
| Alcohol consumption | 10 (33.3%) | 12 (40%) | 0.592 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 6 (20%) | 3 (10%) | 0.472 |
| Endoscopy findings | 0.053 | ||
|
No varices Low risk varices High risk varices Eradicated varices |
8 17 1 4 |
1 21 4 4 |
|
| Hypertension | 6 (20%) | 1 (3.3%) | 0.103 |
| Etiology | 0.434 | ||
|
Alcohol Hepatitis C Hepatitis B NASH related Autoimmune Cryptogenic |
8 (26.7%) 7 (23.3%) 3 (10%) 5 (16.6%) 1 (3.3%) 6 (20.0%) |
11 (36.7%) 7 (23.3%) 7 (23.3%) 2 (6.7%) 0 3 (10.0%) |
|
| History of decompensation | |||
|
GI bleed Ascites Encephalopathy |
9 (30%) 21 (70%) 4 (13.3%) |
10 (33.3%) 23 (76.7%) 3 (10%) |
0.781 0.559 0.688 |
| Platelet count (× 109/L) | 107 (27–283) | 70 (30–270) | 0.103 |
| Bilirubin (mg/dL) | 1.2 (0.5–4.1) | 1.4 (0.5–4.9) | 0.461 |
| Albumin (g/dL) | 3.58 ± 0.66 | 3.29 ± 0.62 | 0.094 |
| INR | 1.3 ± 0.2 | 1.4 ± 0.3 | 0.070 |
| Creatinine (mg/dL) | 0.8 (0.6–1.4) | 0.8 (0.5–1.9) | 0.817 |
| Plasma ammonia (µmol/L) | 71 (64.5–84.3) | 75 (66–142) | 0.222 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.8 ± 5.2 | 23.5 ± 5.4 | 0.798 |
| Calorie intake (kcal/day) | 1838.1 ± 631.5 | 2217.48 ± 707.3 | 0.033 |
| Carbohydrate intake (g/day) | 182.4 ± 61.3 | 204.8 ± 65.1 | 0.114 |
| Protein intake (g/day) | 60.9 ± 27.2 | 69.6 ± 21.0 | 0.135 |
| Child class | 0.273 | ||
|
A B |
12 (40%) 18 (60%) |
9 (30%) 21 (70%) |
|
| CTP score | 6.9 ± 1.5 | 7.5 ± 1.6 | 0.123 |
| MELD | 10.2 ± 2.8 | 12.2 ± 3.5 | 0.015 |
BCAA branched-chain amino acids, BMI body mass index, CTP Child–Pugh-Turcotte, INR international normalised ratio, MELD model for end stage of liver disease, NASH non-alcoholic steatohepatitis
#Values expressed as mean ± standard deviation, median (interquartile range) or n (%)