Baseline characteristics of the study population in training set (The Gambia) and in validation sets (France and Senegal)
| Variables | The Gambia (n=135) | France (n=63) | Senegal (n=80) | p Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male sex, n | 105 (78%) | 41 (65%) | 67 (84%) | 0.03 |
| Median age (years) (IQR) | 34 (29–39) | 38 (29–49) | 28 (24–31) | <0.001 |
| Median BMI (kg/m2) (IQR) | 21.6 (19.9–24.8) | Not reported | 20.9 (18.9–24.0) | 0.1 |
| Median fasting LSM value (kPa) | 7.5 (6.5–9.2) | Not reported | 8.8 (7.8–10.2) | <0.001 |
| Median IQR of LSM (kPa) | 1.3 (0.9–1.8) | Not reported | 1.4 (1.1–2.6) | 0.006 |
| Median ALT (IU/L) (IQR) | 30 (23–49) | 61 (39–125) | 39 (30–53) | <0.001 |
| Median AST (IU/L) (IQR) | 36 (29–48) | 36 (28–66) | 41 (31–53) | 0.4 |
| Median GGT (IU/L) (IQR) | 36 (24–59) | 32 (18–52) | 26 (22–42) | 0.002 |
| Median total bilirubin (IU/L) (IQR) | 11 (9–15) | 11 (8–14) | 12 (9–14) | 0.4 |
| Median platelet counts (109/L) (IQR) | 177 (136–226) | 171 (143–210) | 179 (156–210) | 0.5 |
| Negative HBeAg, n | 129 (96%) | 28 (60%) | 66 (83%) | <0.001 |
| Median HBV DNA level (log10 IU/mL) (IQR) | 2.6 (1.9–4.5) | 5.7 (4.4–7.1) | 3.9 (3.5–5.2) | <0.001 |
| Median APRI (IQR) | 0.52 (0.37–0.82) | 0.56 (0.31–1.01) | 0.55 (0.41–0.80) | 0.7 |
| Median Fib-4 (IQR) | 1.30 (0.86–1.84) | 1.09 (0.75–1.69) | 0.96 (0.74–1.32) | <0.001 |
| Median size of liver biopsy (mm) (IQR) | 11 (8–12) | 20 (17–25) | 28 (22–32) | <0.001 |
| Metavir fibrosis stage (F0/F1/F2/F3/F4) | 28 (21%)/54 (40%)/10 (7%)/ 23 (17%)/20 (15%) | 6 (10%)/27 (43%)/15 (24%)/ 11 (17%)/4 (6%) | 18 (23%)/36 (45%)/17 (21%)/ 9 (11%)/0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Metavir activity grade (A0/A1/A2/A3) | 30 (22%)/68 (50%)/23 (17%)/14 (10%) | Not reported | 42 (53%)/29 (37%)/8 (10%)/0 (0%) | <0.001 |
| Steatosis (none/mild/moderate/severe) | 125 (93%)/6 (4%)/4 (3%)/0 (0%) | 30 (64%)/15 (32%)/2 (4%)/0 (0%) | 73 (91%)/7 (9%)/0 (0%)/0 (0%) | <0.001 |
ALT, alanine transaminase; APRI, (AST)-to-platelet ratio index; AST, aspartate transaminase; BMI, body mass index; HBeAg, hepatitis B e antigen; GGT, gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase; LSM, liver stiffness measurement.