Neck Circumference is an Effective Supplement for Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Screening in a Community-Based Population

Table 1

Characteristics of the study participants.

Variables	Non-LFC-NAFLD (n = 919)		LFC-NAFLD (n = 779)
	Men (n = 309)	Women (n = 610)	Men (n = 268)	Women (n = 511)
Age (years)	63 (57–67)	59 (55–64)	61 (56–66)^#	60 (56–64)^#
BMI (kg/m^2)	23.54 (21.81–25.25)	22.60 (20.82–24.50)	25.62 (24.03–27.59)^##	25.36 (23.32–27.70)^##
WC (cm)	84.0 (79.0–89.0)	78.0 (73.0–83.0)	91.0 (86.0–96.0)^##	86.0 (81.0–92.0)^##
NC (cm)	37.0 (35.2–39.0)	32.8 (31.3–34.1)	38.8 (37.1–40.4)^##	34.5 (33.0–36.0)^##
SBP (mmHg)	131 (120–142)	126 (114–138)	137 (127–149)^##	132 (122–145)^##
DBP (mmHg)	78 (72–84)	74 (68–81)	84 (77–90)^##	78 (71–84)^##
ALT (U/L)	18.0 (15.0–24.0)	16.0 (13.0–21.0)	23.5 (18.0–33.0)^##	21.0 (16.0–28.0)^##
AST (U/L)	20.0 (17.0–24.0)	20.0 (17.0–23.0)	21.0 (18.0–25.0)^##	21.0 (18.0–25.0)^##
GGT (U/L)	24.0 (19.0–33.0)	18.0 (15.0–26.0)	32.0 (24.3–43.8)^##	25.0 (19.0–35.0)^##
FPG (mmol/L)	5.77 (5.38–6.30)	5.65 (5.29–6.07)	6.00 (5.50–6.94)^##	6.02 (5.57–6.72)^##
2hPG (mmol/L)	7.35 (5.85–8.91)	7.04 (5.75–8.83)	8.33 (6.40–10.92)^##	8.47 (6.78–11.28)^##
HbA1c (%)	5.60 (5.40–5.90)	5.70 (5.40–6.00)	5.80 (5.50–6.30)^##	5.80 (5.50–6.20)^##
Fasting insulin (mU/L)	7.28 (4.97–9.96)	7.89 (6.02–10.46)	11.40 (8.09–16.18)^##	12.15 (8.78–16.33)^##
TC (mmol/L)	5.07 (4.53–5.60)	5.48 (4.88–6.27)	5.20 (4.55–5.86)	5.57 (5.01–6.26)
TG (mmol/L)	1.25 (0.88–1.78)	1.17 (0.89–1.67)	1.93 (1.36–2.78)^##	1.66 (1.30–2.46)^##
HDL-c (mmol/L)	1.32 (1.12–1.53)	1.58 (1.37–1.82)	1.15 (0.98–1.32)^##	1.36 (1.18–1.57)^##
LDL-c (mmol/L)	3.11 ± 0.75	3.36 ± 0.89	3.26 ± 0.80^#	3.47 ± 0.83^#
CRP (mg/L)	0.67 (0.32–1.46)	0.75 (0.36–1.34)	0.97 (0.58–1.71)^##	1.30 (0.73–2.55)^##
HOMA-IR	1.89 (1.30–2.63)	2.03 (1.47–2.78)	3.18 (2.09–4.59)^##	3.35 (2.41–4.65)^##
LFC (%)	6.5 (5.3–7.8)	7.1 (6.0–8.0)	24.2 (16.4–27.3)^##	25.2 (17.2–33.6)^##
Qualitative NAFLD, n (%)	0 (0)	0 (0)	231 (86.19)^##	423 (82.78)^##
Smoking, n (%)	130 (42.07)	6 (0.98)	102 (38.06)	3 (0.59)

Data are expressed as mean ± standard deviation for normally distributed variables or the median (interquartile range) for skewed distribution variables. , men versus women in Non-LFC-NAFLD and LFC-NAFLD; , men versus women in Non-LFC-NAFLD and LFC-NAFLD. , Non-LFC-NAFLD versus LFC-NAFLD in men and women; , Non-LFC-NAFLD versus LFC-NAFLD in men and women. LFC-NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease based on liver fat content; BMI, body mass index; WC, waist circumference; NC, neck circumference; SBP, systolic blood pressure; DBP, diastolic blood pressure; ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase; FPG, fasting plasma glucose; 2hPG, 2-h plasma glucose; HbA1c, glycated hemoglobin A1c; TC, total cholesterol; TG, triglyceride; HDL-c, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; LDL-c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol; CRP, C-reactive protein; HOMA-IR, homoeostasis model assessment-insulin resistance index; LFC, liver fat content; NAFLD, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.