Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of participants stratified by quartiles of AST/ALT ratio.
| Variables | AST/ALT ratio quartile | P-value | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 (< 0.8155) | Q2 (0.8155–1.0830) | Q3 (1.0830–1.4149) | Q4 (>1.4149) | ||
| Participants | 2,809 | 2,800 | 2,825 | 2,812 | |
| Age (years) | 44.3 ± 11.2 | 49.8 ± 12.9 | 52.3 ± 14.2 | 53.4 ± 15.6 | < 0.001 |
| Gender, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||||
| Male | 2,431 (86.5) | 2,075 (74.1) | 1,719 (60.8) | 1,291 (45.9) | |
| Female | 378 (13.5) | 725 (25.9) | 1,106 (39.2) | 1,521 (54.1) | |
| BMI (Kg/m2) | 26.5 ± 3.2 | 25.3 ± 3.1 | 24.3 ± 3.1 | 23.2 ± 3.1 | < 0.001 |
| SBP (mmHg) | 128.4 ± 16.0 | 127.6 ± 17.3 | 127.8 ± 18.5 | 126.6 ± 18.9 | 0.002 |
| DBP (mmHg) | 80.4 ± 10.7 | 78.9 ± 10.9 | 78.1 ± 11.3 | 76.4 ± 11.4 | < 0.001 |
| TG (mmol/L) | 1.8 (1.2, 2.7) | 1.6 (1.1, 2.3) | 1.3 (0.9, 1.9) | 1.1 (0.8, 1.5) | < 0.001 |
| TC (mmol/L) | 5.1 ± 1.0 | 5.0 ± 0.9 | 5.0 ± 0.9 | 4.9 ± 0.9 | < 0.001 |
| HDL-C (mmol/L) | 1.3 ± 0.3 | 1.3 ± 0.4 | 1.4 ± 0.3 | 1.4 ± 0.3 | < 0.001 |
| LDL (mmol/L) | 3.0 ± 0.7 | 2.9 ± 0.7 | 2.9 ± 0.7 | 2.8 ± 0.7 | < 0.001 |
| AST (mmol/L) | 31.3 ± 14.8 | 25.6 ± 9.9 | 24.2 ± 8.6 | 24.2 ± 10.5 | < 0.001 |
| ALT (mmol/L) | 51.0 ± 31.1 | 27.3 ± 11.2 | 19.7 ± 7.3 | 13.8 ± 5.9 | < 0.001 |
| AST/ALT | 0.7 ± 0.1 | 0.9 ± 0.1 | 1.2 ± 0.1 | 1.8 ± 0.5 | < 0.001 |
| BUN (mmol/L) | 5.1 ± 1.2 | 5.1 ± 1.2 | 5.0 ± 1.3 | 5.0 ± 1.3 | 0.013 |
| Scr (mmol/L) | 77.0 ± 14.0 | 75.3 ± 15.7 | 73.1 ± 16.2 | 70.7 ± 17.5 | < 0.001 |
| Smoking status, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||||
| Current smoker | 806 (28.7) | 657 (23.5) | 531 (18.8) | 386 (13.7) | |
| Ever smoker | 176 (6.3) | 131 (4.7) | 108 (3.8) | 74 (2.6) | |
| Never smoker | 1,827 (65) | 2,012 (71.9) | 2,186 (77.4) | 2,352 (83.6) | |
| Drinking status, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||||
| Current drinker | 116 (4.1) | 117 (4.2) | 129 (4.6) | 137 (4.9) | |
| Ever drinker | 701 (25) | 572 (20.4) | 476 (16.8) | 313 (11.1) | |
| Never drinker | 1,992 (70.9) | 2,111 (75.4) | 2,220 (78.6) | 2,362 (84) | |
| Family history of diabetes, n (%) | 0.007 | ||||
| No | 2,720 (96.8) | 2,735 (97.7) | 2,775 (98.2) | 2,748 (97.7) | |
| Yes | 89 (3.2) | 65 (2.3) | 50 (1.8) | 64 (2.3) | |
| Follow-up (years) | 3.0 ± 0.9 | 3.0 ± 0.9 | 3.0 ± 0.9 | 3.0 ± 0.9 | < 0.001 |
| Incident diabetes, n (%) | < 0.001 | ||||
| No | 2,366 (84.2) | 2,434 (86.9) | 2,537 (89.8) | 2,636 (93.7) | |
| Yes | 443 (15.8) | 366 (13.1) | 288 (10.2) | 176 (6.3) | |
Data are shown as mean ± standard deviation or number (%).
AST, aspartate aminotransferase; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; DM, diabetes mellitus; BMI, body mass index; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; TG, triglyceride; Scr, serum creatinine; BUN, blood urea nitrogen; TC, total cholesterol; HDL-C, high-density lipid cholesterol; LDL-C, low-density lipid cholesterol.