Table 1.
Baseline Characteristics of the Cohort Stratified by the Presence of NAFLD (MRI-PDFF ≥5%)
| Characteristics | Overall (N = 100) | Non-NAFLD MRI-PDFF <5% (n = 32) | NAFLD MRI-PDFF ≥5% (n = 68) | P value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||||
| Age, y | 57.5 (13.2) | 57.0 (16.3) | 57.7 (11.6) | .803 |
| Female | 56 (56) | 14 (43.8) | 42 (61.8) | .075 |
| White | 42 (42) | 14 (43.8) | 28 (41.2) | .624 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 36 (36) | 11 (34.4) | 25 (36.8) | .971 |
| Clinical | ||||
| Type 2 diabetes | 56 (56) | 16 (50) | 40 (58.8) | .407 |
| BMI, kg/m2 | 30.6 (4.7) | 28.4 (5.1) | 31.6 (4.2) | <.001a |
| Waist circumference, cm | 103.0 (15.6) | 97.8 (15.0) | 105 (15.4) | .004a |
| Obesity | 55 (55) | 12 (37.5) | 43 (63.2) | .010a |
| Biological data | ||||
| AST, U/L | 37.4 (34.3) | 26.7 (10.2) | 42.4 (40.2) | .031a |
| ALT, U/L | 45.3 (57.2) | 27.5 (20.8) | 53.7 (66.3) | .018a |
| Alkaline phosphatase, U/L | 81.7 (27.9) | 85.5 (34.9) | 79.8 (24.0) | .339 |
| GGT, U/L | 57.6 (64.7) | 51.7 (71.3) | 60.9 (61.1) | .377 |
| Total bilirubin, mg/dL | 0.50 (0.25) | 0.48 (0.21) | 0.5 (0.3) | .446 |
| Direct bilirubin, mg/dL | 0.22 (0.13) | 0.20 (0.0) | 0.23 (0.15) | .338 |
| Albumin, g/dL | 4.45 (0.27) | 4.42 (0.27) | 4.5 (0.3) | .572 |
| Glucose, mg/dL | 125.6 (49.7) | 116.3 (45.1) | 129.9 (51.4) | .843 |
| Hemoglobin A1c, % | 6.7 (1.8) | 6.5 (1.8) | 6.8 (1.7) | .302 |
| Triglycerides, mg/dL | 156.5 (76.8) | 128.6 (73.6) | 170.1 (75.3) | .028a |
| Total cholesterol, mg/dL | 186.9 (40.5) | 187.2 (41.8) | 186.7 (40.3) | .814 |
| HDL-cholesterol, mg/dL | 47.1 (12.0) | 54.5 (12.0) | 43.5 (10.3) | .001a |
| LDL-cholesterol, mg/dL | 108.3 (35.1) | 107.6 (33.2) | 108.6 (36.3) | .776 |
| Platelet count (109/L) | 249.3 (73.7) | 260.4 (84.1) | 243.8 (68.1) | .241 |
| Prothrombin time | 11.1 (1.3) | 10.9 (0.7) | 11.3 (1.6) | .648 |
| INR | 1.0 (0.1) | 1.0 (0.7) | 1.1 (0.1) | .770 |
| Clinical prediction rules | ||||
| AST/ALT ratio | 0.99 (0.35) | 1.12 (0.29) | 0.93 (0.35) | .004a |
| FIB-4 | 1.53 (1.08) | 1.40 (1.07) | 1.59 (1.09) | .443 |
| NAFLD fibrosis score | −1.183 (1.546) | −1.467 (1.987) | −1.040 (1.266) | .608 |
| Imaging data | ||||
| MRI-PDFF, % | 11.3 (9.3) | 2.1 (1.31) | 15.7 (8.1) | <.001a |
| MRE, kPa | 2.6 (1.1) | 2.3 (0.78) | 2.68 (1.28) | .454 |
| FibroScan M probe | ||||
| Liver stiffness | 6.6 (4.0) | 4.9 (2.9) | 7.5 (3.9) | .004a |
| IQR of TE | 1.0 (1.1) | 0.7 (1.1) | 1.2 (1.2) | .025a |
| IQR/M | 16 (11) | 15 (12) | 16 (10) | .137 |
| Unreliable liver stiffnessb | 3 (3) | 1 (3.1) | 2 (2.9) | 1.000 |
| CAP, dB/m | 310 (76) | 261 (84) | 323 (61) | <.001a |
| IQR of CAP | 24 (19) | 26 (24) | 22 (18) | .034a |
| FibroScan XL probe | ||||
| Liver stiffness | 5.4 (3.0) | 4.8 (3.5) | 5.8 (2.8) | .093a |
| IQR | 0.9 (0.8) | 0.8 (0.8) | 1.0 (0.8) | .566 |
| IQR/median | 18.0 (11) | 16 (13) | 18 (10) | .537 |
| Unreliable liver stiffnessb | 5 (5) | 2 (6.3) | 3 (4.4) | 1.000 |
| CAP, dB/m | 317 (76) | 259 (96) | 340 (64) | <.001a |
| IQR of CAP | 42.0 (27) | 46.5 (30) | 40.5 (29) | .007a |
Values are median (IQR) or n (%). The P value determined by comparing patients without NAFLD and with NAFLD using an independent-samples t test, Wilcoxon 2-sample test, or a chi-square or Fisher exact test, as appropriate.
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; CAP, controlled attenuation parameter; FIB-4, Fibrosis-4; GGT, γ-glutamyltransferase; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; INR, international normalized ratio; IQR, interquartile range; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; MRE, magnetic resonance elastography; MRI-PDFF, magnetic resonance imaging–proton density fat fraction; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; TE, transient elastography.
P value <.05.
Unreliable liver stiffness was defined as number of valid measurement <10 and/or IQR/median >30%.29