Comparison of Clinical Characteristics Between Obese and Non-Obese Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)

Figures & data

Table 1 Main Characteristics of 1608 Cases Undergoing Routine Physical Examination

Clinical Indicators	Non-Obese (n=974)	Obese (n=634)	P value
Age (year)	50.39±11.57	47.21±10.86	0.01
Sex (male/female)	59/42	297/98	0.03
BMI (kg/m^2)	23.61±1.36	28.53±2.64	0.01
E (kPa)	6.67±1.65	7.96±4.13	0.00
CAP (db/m)	263.21±21.49	267.35±24.94	0.00
AST (IU/L)	28.65±12.27	28.85±12.3	0.30
ALT (IU/L)	37.06±28.18	36.80±24.45	0.01
ALP (IU/L)	90.40±22.96	89.15±23.22	0.20
GGT (IU/L)	46.28±27.52	52.32±61.52	0.03
ALB (g/L)	46.84±3.31	46.51±2.55	0.50
TG (mmol/L)	2.20±1.83	2.66±2.52	0.01
CHOL (mmol/L)	5.19±0.85	5.35±1.06	0.02
HDL-C (mmol/L)	1.14±0.24	1.12±0.24	0.03
LDL-C (mmol/L)	3.47±0.70	3.59±0.83	0.02
Blood glucose (mmol/L)	5.79±1.35	6.25±2.14	0.04

Note: All measurement data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation.

Figure 1 Patients and study design. 1608 cases were divided into obese group (BMI≧27.5 kg/m2) and non-obese group (BMI < 27.5 kg/m2).Constituent ratio of NAFLD in obese and non-obese population and its relationship with clinical indicators were compared. Risk factors of non-obese NALFD were analyzed.

Table 2 Main Characteristics of NAFLD Group and Non-NAFLD Group in Non-Obese Population

Clinical Indicators	NAFLD (n=101)	Non-NAFLD (n=873)	P value
Age (year)	50.13±11.83	45.73±11.26	0.05
Sex (male/female)	59/42	355/518	0.01
BMI (kg/m^2)	23.26±2.45	21.86±2.16	0.00
ALP (IU/L)	90.70±27.39	79.55±24.92	0.00
GGT (IU/L)	41.19±33.45	27.80±39.23	0.00
ALB (g/L)	46.46±3.01	46.19±3.01	0.41
TG (mmol/L)	2.13±1.63	1.41±1.12	0.00
CHOL (mmol/L)	5.32±1.10	5.02±0.97	0.00
HDL-C (mmol/L)	1.21±0.26	1.33±0.27	0.00
LDL-C (mmol/L)	3.50±0.83	3.14±0.83	0.00
Blood glucose (mmol/L)	5.69±1.19	5.31±0.98	0.00

Note: All measurement data are expressed as mean±standard deviation.

Figure 2 Gender distribution of occurrence of NAFLD in non-obese and obese population. Occurrence of NAFLD was higher in obese group than in non-obese group (p<0.001). There was a statistical difference in the occurrence of NAFLD between male and female in non-obese group (p=0.001), no statistical difference was found in obese group (p=0.934).

Figure 3 Age distribution of NAFLD in non-obese and obese population.

Notes: (A) In non-obese population, the NAFLD incidences in male increased significantly in the age range of 40–49y and 50–59y, while female incidence peaked in the 50–59y group. (B) In obese population, the incidence of NAFLD in male is basically the same in the three age groups of 30–39y, 40–49y and 50–59y, and the peak in female is still 50–59y group.

Figure 4 Distribution of TG levels in non-obese and obese population.

Notes: (A) The proportion of elevated TG, edge elevated TG and normal TG in non-obese NAFLD patients was 16.28%,16.28% and 67.44%, respectively, normal TG accounts for the majority. (B) The proportion of elevated TG, edge elevated TG and normal TG in obese NAFLD patients was 37.45%,22.39% and 40.15%, respectively. (C) The proportion of elevated TG and edge elevated TG in non-obese NAFLD patients were statistically higher than those in non-obese total population, p=0.005 and 0.019, respectively.

Figure 5 CHOL levels and occurrence of NAFLD in non-obese and obese population. No statistical difference found in the distribution of CHOL levels between obese and non-obese population (p>0.05).

Figure 6 Constituent ratio of different blood glucose levels in non-obese and obese population.

Notes: (A) In obese NAFLD patients, no difference could be found in the distribution of blood glucose levels between male and female (p>0.05). (B) In non-obese NAFLD patients, the majority of female patients have normal blood glucose, and the constituent ratio of blood glucose levels in male patients was similar to those of obese NAFLD patients (p<0.05). (C) *proportion of normal blood glucose in non-obese NAFLD group. **proportion of normal blood glucose in obese NAFLD group. ▲proportion of normal blood glucose in non-obese female NAFLD group. ▲▲proportion of normal blood glucose in obese female NAFLD group. ^#proportion of normal blood glucose in non-obese total group. ^##proportion of normal blood glucose in obese total group. ^&proportion of normal blood glucose in non-obese male NAFLD group. ^&&proportion of normal blood glucose in obese male NAFLD group. The proportions of normal blood glucose were higher in non-obese population, non-obese NAFLD group and non-obese female NAFLD patients than those in obese population, obese NAFLD group and obese female NAFLD patients, respectively (p<0.05).

Table 3 Results of Regression Analysis of NAFLD in Non-Obese NAFLD Patients

Clinical Parameters	p	OR	95% CI
Age	0.480	1.001	0.998–1.004
Sex	0.360	1.249	0.776–2.012
BMI	0.000*	1.311	0.130–1.520
ALP	0.241	1.584	0.734–3.416
GGT	0.563	1.222	0.619–2.411
TG	0.000*	2.545	1.552–4.172
CHOL	0.660	0.836	0.376–1.858
LDL-C	0.675	1.209	0.498–2.931
Blood glucose	0.426	1.294	0.686–2.439

Note: *p<0.05.