Abstract
Purpose of Review: In spite of the many health benefits attributed to exercise, reports summarizing the literature in patients with cirrhosis are scarce. We aimed to provide a comprehensive review focusing on potential safety considerations in cirrhosis. Recent Findings: Diminished exercise capacity in patients with cirrhosis worsens their prognosis before and after liver transplantation. Exercise poses unique challenges in this population, raising questions of safety—worsening portal hypertension and malnutrition—and efficacy. In this review, we show that the balance of evidence supports supervised exercise programs with demonstrable benefits with respect to portal pressure, functional capacity, and muscle mass indexes. There are also benefits regarding their emotional function and perceived general health. Key to interpreting the benefits and risk profile of exercise is the impact of non-selective beta-blockage. Summary: Patients with cirrhosis, with or without portal hypertension, should receive an exercise prescription as part of their standard of care. However, some standard safety recommendations should be universally followed.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 175-183 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | Current Hepatitis Reports |
| Volume | 17 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 2018 |
Funding
This work is supported by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine Clinician Scientist Program. Elliot B. Tapper reports grants from Valeant, grants from Gilead, and personal fees from Novartis, outside the submitted work.
Keywords
- Aerobic fitness
- Cardiopulmonary endurance
- Frailty
- Hepatic venous portal gradient
- Preparticipation
- Sarcopenia
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Hepatology
