Indeed, the frequency of the dysfunctional Siglec-7−CD57+PD-1+CD56dimpopulation was significantly increased in NAFLD patients even at the earliest stages of fibrosis (F0–2), but was unaffected by age, BMI, or metabolic complications such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia (data not shown). This evidence concerns the gene PDCD1 and metabolic syndrome.