Validation of conventional non-invasive fibrosis scoring systems in patients with metabolic associated fatty liver disease

Table 2 Baseline characteristics of the patients

	Overall, n = 417	No/mild fibrosis, n = 261	Advanced fibrosis, n = 156	P value
Age (yr)	40.54 ± 10.95	39.42 ± 11.39	42.41 ± 9.94	0.007
Male, n (%)	354 (84.9)	219 (83.9)	135 (86.5)	0.468
BMI (kg/m2)	25.48 ± 2.66	25.51 ± 2.56	25.42 ± 2.83	0.757
Diabetes mellitus, n (%)	82 (19.7)	46 (17.6)	36 (23.1)	0.175
Hypertension, n (%)	42 (10.1)	30 (11.5)	12 (7.7)	0.212
ALB (g/L)	42.53 ± 4.96	43.65 ± 5.14	40.65 ± 3.98	< 0.001
GLO (g/L)	29.88 ± 14.11	29.11 ± 6.00	31.13 ± 21.53	0.160
ALT (U/L)	133.07 ± 199.05	126.93 ± 151.37	143.33 ± 260.27	0.416
AST (U/L)	70.69 ± 85.14	63.24 ± 62.19	83.17 ± 112.77	0.021
GGT (U/L)	89.64 ± 109.58	88.75 ± 117.46	91.11 ± 95.28	0.832
FPG (mmol/L)	5.34 ± 1.42	5.28 ± 1.20	5.45 ± 1.73	0.251
Cr (μmol/L)	73.41 ± 13.71	74.00 ± 13.50	72.41 ± 14.07	0.273
UA (μmol/L)	368.49 ± 82.08	377.02 ± 83.87	353.77 ± 76.98	0.007
TG (mmol/L)	1.67 ± 1.12	1.78 ± 1.45	1.48 ± 0.71	0.016
HDL-C (mmol/L)	1.12 ± 0.30	1.12 ± 0.29	1.12 ± 0.33	0.959
PLT (× 109/L)	204.00 ± 64.22	221.00 ± 62.76	175.52 ± 56.22	< 0.001
FIB-4	1.48 ± 1.64	1.19 ± 1.65	1.97 ± 1.49	< 0.001
APRI	1.03 ± 1.72	0.84 ± 1.33	1.34 ± 2.19	0.003
NFS	-2.16 ± 1.38	-2.56 ± 1.24	-1.50 ± 1.33	< 0.001
BARD (%)				< 0.001
0	209 (50.1)	145 (55.6)	64 (41.0)
1	86 (20.6)	59 (22.6)	27 (17.3)
2	92 (22.1)	48 (18.4)	44 (28.2)
3	25 (6.0)	8 (3.1)	17 (10.9 )
4	5 (1.2)	1 (0.4)	4 (2.6)

ALB: Albumin; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; APRI: Aspartate aminotransferase to platelet ratio index; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; BARD: Body mass index, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio, diabetes score; BMI: Body mass index; Cr: Creatinine; FIB-4: Fibrosis-4 index; FPG: Fasting plasma glucose; GGT: γ-Glutamyl transpeptidase; GLO: Globulin; HDL-C: High-density lipoprotein cholesterol; NFS: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score; PLT: Platelet; TG: Triglyceride; UA: Uric acid.