Noninvasive Evaluation of Liver Fibrosis in a Sample of Putative Inactive HBV Carriers in Rome, Italy
Table 2
Characteristics of Italians versus foreigners among 125 patients.
Characteristics
Italians (n = 75)
Foreigners (n = 50)
Age (years)
53.1 ± 11.9
36.5 ± 10.2
<0.0001
ALT
0.53 ± 0.18
0.67 ± 0.33
<0.05
AST
0.59 ± 0.16
0.70 ± 0.21
<0.01
Liver stiffness (kPa)
5.59 ± 1.92
5.50 ± 1.94
Ns
LS < 7.5 kPa, n (%)
64 (85.3%)
43 (86.0%)
Ns
LS ≥ 7.5 kPa, n (%)
11 (14.7%)
7 (14.0%)
HBV-DNA
3107.29 ± 8975.52
4707.72 ± 19092.72
Ns
HBV-DNA <2000 IU/ml, n (%)
58 (77.3%)
33 (66.0%)
Ns
HBV-DNA ≥2000 IU/ml, n (%)
17 (22.7%)
17 (34.0%)
Continuous variables are expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD). A value <0.05 is considered significant (Wilcoxon test). ALT and AST are expressed as multiples of upper limit of normal. For categorical variables, a value <0.05 is considered significant (Chi-squared test).