TABLE 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients with MAFLD assessed by VCTE in the NHANES database, 2017–2018
| Variables | Nonobese‐MAFLD (n = 125) | Obese‐MAFLD (n = 1515) | p value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMI (<25 kg/m2) | BMI (25–29.9 kg/m2) n = 584 | BMI (30–34.9 kg/m2) n = 471 | BMI (35–39.9 kg/m2) n = 263 | BMI (≥40 kg/m2) n = 197 | ||
| Age (years) | 62.5 ± 12.8 | 57.1 ± 16.4 | 55.4 ± 16.8 | 53.4 ± 16.5 | 51.4 ± 14.8 | <0.001 |
| Sex, n (%) | ||||||
| Male | 72 (57.6) | 359 (61.5) | 266 (56.5) | 122 (46.4) | 75 (38.1) | <0.001 |
| Female | 53 (42.4) | 225 (38.5) | 205 (43.5) | 141 (53.6) | 122 (61.9) | |
| Race, n (%) | <0.001 | |||||
| Mexican American | 7 (5.6) | 95 (16.3) | 83 (17.6) | 37 (14.1) | 26 (13.2) | |
| Other Hispanic | 9 (7.2) | 73 (12.5) | 37 (7.9) | 23 (8.7) | 12 (6.1) | |
| Non‐Hispanic White | 38 (30.4) | 179 (30.7) | 175 (37.2) | 111 (42.2) | 75 (38.1) | |
| Non‐Hispanic Black | 9 (7.2) | 81 (13.9) | 102 (21.7) | 68 (25.9) | 58 (29.4) | |
| Non‐Hispanic Asian | 57 (45.6) | 131 (22.4) | 50 (10.6) | 15 (5.7) | 8 (4.1) | |
| Mexican American | 5 (4.0) | 25 (4.3) | 24 (5.1) | 9 (3.9) | 18 (9.1) | |
| Anthropometric parameters | ||||||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.5 ± 1.2 | 27.6 ± 1.4 | 32.3 ± 1.4 | 37.1 ± 1.4 | 45.1 ± 4.7 | <0.001 |
| MUAC (cm) | 28.8 ± 1.9 | 32.1 ± 2.4 | 35.6 ± 2.6 | 38.2 ± 3.0 | 42.5 ± 4.2 | <0.001 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 89.5 ± 6.0 | 98.2 ± 7.1 | 108.9 ± 7.5 | 118.5 ± 8.0 | 132.1 ± 10.2 | <0.001 |
| Hip circumference (cm) | 94.2 ± 4.2 | 101.9 ± 5.3 | 110.7 ± 6.2 | 121.2 ± 7.3 | 135.8 ± 10.6 | <0.001 |
| Waist to hip ratio | 1.0 ± 0.1 | 1.0 ± 0.1 | 1.0 ± 0.1 | 1.0 ± 0.1 | 1.0 ± 0.1 | <0.001 |
| VCTE parameters | ||||||
| CAP (dB/m) | 290.1 ± 33.4 | 297.1 ± 33.8 | 308.4 ± 38.8 | 324.1 ± 42.7 | 335.6 ± 45.4 | <0.001 |
| Stiffness (kPa) | 5.3 ± 3.8 | 5.7 ± 4.7 | 6.1 ± 4.3 | 6.7 ± 3.5 | 9.1 ± 7.5 | <0.001 |
| Serum test | ||||||
| FPG (mmol/L) | 6.6 ± 3.0 | 6.0 ± 2.1 | 6.1 ± 2.5 | 6.0 ± 2.1 | 6.5 ± 2.8 | 0.037 |
| TC (mmol/L) | 5.2 ± 1.2 | 5.0 ± 1.1 | 4.9 ± 1.0 | 4.8 ± 1.1 | 4.7 ± 1.0 | 0.001 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 2.2 ± 1.3 | 1.9 ± 1.4 | 1.9 ± 1.4 | 1.9 ± 1.1 | 1.9 ± 1.5 | 0.233 |
| HDL‐C (mmol/L) | 1.3 ± 0.4 | 1.3 ± 0.3 | 1.2 ± 0.3 | 1.2 ± 0.3 | 1.2 ± 0.3 | 0.002 |
| TBIL (μmol/L) | 8.5 ± 5.6 | 8.4 ± 4.8 | 7.9 ± 4.8 | 7.2 ± 3.8 | 7.2 ± 3.9 | <0.001 |
| ALB (g/L) | 41.5 ± 3.2 | 41.3 ± 3.0 | 40.3 ± 3.1 | 39.7 ± 2.9 | 38.6 ± 2.9 | <0.001 |
| ALT (U/L) | 22.4 ± 12.9 | 22.9 ± 13.9 | 25.3 ± 16.0 | 26.6 ± 20.8 | 23.5 ± 13.3 | 0.010 |
| AST (U/L) | 22.2 ± 8.3 | 21.5 ± 9.9 | 22.5 ± 11.1 | 22.7 ± 14.1 | 20.6 ± 8.5 | 0.157 |
| GGT (U/L) | 36.9 ± 63.4 | 31.8 ± 30.3 | 33.7 ± 37.9 | 32.3 ± 33.5 | 35.6 ± 32.4 | 0.525 |
| ALP (U/L) | 82.5 ± 29.5 | 80.5 ± 22.7 | 81.1 ± 24.5 | 82.1 ± 23.5 | 88.0 ± 29.4 | 0.007 |
| Creatinine (μmol/L) | 83.3 ± 56.8 | 82.0 ± 33.4 | 85.3 ± 57.9 | 80.9 ± 61.6 | 76.6 ± 23.2 | 0.298 |
| UA (μmol/L) | 330.0 ± 84.2 | 338.7 ± 83.6 | 341.9 ± 80.3 | 360.9 ± 95.4 | 370.7 ± 101.5 | <0.001 |
| HbA1c (%) | 6.4 ± 1.6 | 6.1 ± 1.3 | 6.1 ± 1.2 | 6.2 ± 1.3 | 6.4 ± 1.5 | 0.013 |
| Metabolic diseases | ||||||
| Hypertension, n (%) | 45 (36.0) | 147 (25.2) | 119 (25.3) | 83 (31.6) | 62 (31.5) | 0.034 |
| Diabetes, n (%) | 42 (33.6) | 123 (21.1) | 113 (24.0) | 59 (22.4) | 63 (32.0) | 0.004 |
| Prediabetes, n (%) | 10 (8.0) | 65 (11.1) | 55 (11.7) | 39 (14.8) | 30 (15.2) | <0.001 |
| Gout, n (%) | 19 (15.2) | 41 (7.0) | 24 (5.1) | 20 (7.6) | 18 (9.1) | 0.004 |
| CHD, n (%) | 13 (10.4) | 32 (5.5) | 33 (7.0) | 14 (5.3) | 12 (6.1) | 0.170 |
| Stroke, n (%) | 6 (4.8) | 20 (3.4) | 22 (4.7) | 20 (7.6) | 9 (4.6) | 0.076 |
| Thyroid problem, n (%) | 13 (10.4) | 66 (11.3) | 79 (16.8) | 39 (14.8) | 23 (11.7) | 0.047 |
| Sleep time (hours) | ||||||
| Weekdays | 7.8 ± 1.7 | 7.5 ± 1.6 | 7.5 ± 1.6 | 7.5 ± 1.7 | 7.4 ± 1.8 | 0.162 |
| Weekends | 8.3 ± 1.6 | 8.2 ± 1.7 | 8.2 ± 1.7 | 8.1 ± 1.7 | 8.1 ± 1.9 | 0.576 |
| Trouble with sleep, n (%) | 28 (22.4) | 129 (22.1) | 149 (31.6) | 98 (37.3) | 87 (44.2) | <0.001 |
| Weight loss, n (%) | 84 (67.2) | 406 (69.5) | 326 (69.2) | 191 (72.6) | 133 (67.5) | 0.753 |
| Medicine, n (%) | ||||||
| Hypertension | 45 (36.0) | 213 (36.5) | 201 (42.7) | 118 (44.9) | 87 (44.2) | <0.001 |
| Female hormones | 14 (11.2) | 47 (7.0) | 41 (8.7) | 27 (10.3) | 20 (10.2) | <0.001 |
| Low‐dose aspirin | 39 (31.2) | 177 (30.3) | 158 (33.5) | 80 (30.4) | 73 (37.1) | 0.610 |
| Ratio of family income to poverty | 0.005 | |||||
| <1.0 | 16 (12.8) | 69 (11.8) | 61 (13.0) | 52 (19.8) | 40 (10.3) | |
| 1.0 to <2.0 | 26 (20.8) | 148 (25.3) | 98 (20.8) | 67 (25.5) | 55 (27.9) | |
| 2.0 to <3.0 | 27 (21.6) | 82 (14.0) | 79 (16.8) | 36 (13.7) | 36 (18.3) | |
| 3.0 to <5.0 | 18 (14.4) | 111 (19.0) | 86 (18.3) | 40 (15.2) | 25 (12.7) | |
| ≥5.0 | 19 (15.2) | 92 (15.8) | 79 (16.8) | 36 (13.7) | 13 (6.6) | |
| NA | 19 (15.2) | 82 (14.0) | 68 (14.4) | 32 (12.2) | 28 (14.2) | |
Note: Continuous variables are shown as mean ± SD. Categorical values are shown as n (%).
Abbreviations: ALB, albumin; ALP, alkaline phosphatase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; CHD, coronary heart disease; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; GGT, γ‐glutamyl transpeptidase; HbA1c, hemoglobin A1c; HDL‐C, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol; MAFLD, metabolic‐associated fatty liver disease; MUAC, mid‐upper arm circumference; NA, not available; NHANES, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey; TBIL, total bilirubin; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; UA, uric acid; VCTE, vibration controlled transient elastography.