NAFLD fibrosis score: A prognostic predictor for mortality and liver complications among NAFLD patients

Table 7 Comparison of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease patients with and without death after excluding those with established type 2 diabetes at baseline (n = 254) n (%) (mean ± SD)

Variables	NAFLD patients without death (n = 226)	NAFLD patients with death (n = 28)	P value
Age (yr)	44.5 ± 11.5	59.2 ± 14.3	< 0.0001
Sex (% male)	113 (50)	10 (35.7)	0.11
History of hypercholesterolemia	56 (24.8)	9 (32.1)	< 0.0001
Obesity	164 (72.6)	22 (78.6)	0.34
BMI (kg/m2)	33.5 ± 6.2	35.0 ± 6.6	0.25
Platelet count (× 109/mm3)	241 ± 58	242 ± 87	0.98
Glucose (mg/dL)	215.7 ± 46.6	215.7 ± 46.6
Cholesterol (mg/dL)	215 ± 48	219 ± 56	0.72
HDL-cholesterol (mg/dL)	42 ± 12	43 ± 20	0.76
AST (U/L)	42.0 ± 23.0	39.7 ± 21.0	0.62
ALT (U/L)	65.7 ± 45.0	50 ± 29	0.02
AST/ALT ratio	0.76 ± 0.38	0.93 ± 0.57	0.14
ALP(U/L)	184 ± 66	246 ± 179	0.09
GGT (U/L)	132 ± 41	142 ± 36	0.32
Albumin (g/dL)	4.3 ± 0.3	4.2 ± 0.4	< 0.0001
FRS	7.6 ± 6.2	10.5 ± 5.6	0.02
Calculated CHD risk (%)	15.3 ± 14.4	22.0 ± 18.8	0.076
NFS	-2.11 ± 1.15	-1.09 ± 1.61	0.003
NFS of intermediate or high probability of advanced liver fibrosis (%)	59 (26.1)	19 (67.9)	< 0.0001
B. During the follow-up periods
Use of metformin	52 (23.0)	1 (3.6)	0.009
Use of aspirin	119 (52.7)	9 (32.1)	0.03
Use of simvastatin	90 (39.8)	3 (10.7)	< 0.0001
NFS change per year (median; IQR)	0.08 ± 0.08	0.12 ± 0.36	0.61

In order to avoid overestimation of the model, we excluded those variables used as a part of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease fibrosis score calculation (age, history of diabetes, aspartate aminotransferase/alanine aminotransferase ratio, platelet counts, albumin, body mass index and Framingham risk score). NAFLD: Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease; BMI: Body mass index; ALT: Alanine aminotransferase; AST: Aspartate aminotransferase; FRS: Framingham risk score; CHD: Coronary heart disease; NFS: NAFLD fibrosis score; ALP: Alkaline phosphatase; GGT: Glutamyltransferase; HDL: High-density lipoprotein.