Table 1. Baseline characteristics of study population.
| Exercise group (n=13) | Control group (n=12) | P-value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gender, n (male/female) | 9/4 | 10/2 | 0.635 |
| Age, years | 53 (48–55) | 51 (38–57) | 0.478 |
| Weight, kg | 79.5 (59–82) | 71.2 (62–80) | 0.918 |
| Height, cm | 163 (152–175) | 166 (155–169) | 0.809 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 27.5 (22.4–28.9) | 27.4 (25.3–30) | 0.705 |
| HR (bpm) | 59±6.2 | 60±6.5 | 0.527 |
| MAP (mm Hg) | 81.1±11.2 | 79.3±5.7 | 0.609 |
| Etiology of cirrhosis, n | 0.852 | ||
| HCV | 5 | 3 | 1.000 |
| NASH | 3 | 4 | |
| Alcohol | 1 | 2 | |
| Other | 4 | 3 | |
| Presence of HE (yes/no) | 3/8 | 3/8 | |
| Presence of ascites (yes/no) | 0/11 | 2/11 | 0.476 |
| History of variceal bleeding (yes/no) | 4/7 | 3/8 | 1.000 |
| Presence of small varices (yes/no) | 8/5 | 9/3 | 0.673 |
| Use of NSBB, % | 100 | 100 | |
| CTP score | 6 (5–7) | 6 (5–7) | 0.401 |
| MELD score | 9 (8–12) | 12 (7–14) | 0.606 |
| HVPG, mm Hg | 14.5 (12.3–18) | 11.5 (3.5–17.5) | 0.235 |
| Platelets, K/μl | 86 (64–130) | 67 (54–94) | 0.332 |
| Glucose, mg/dl | 100 (78–122) | 88 (81–107) | 0.847 |
| Creatinine, mg/dl | 0.8 (0.7–0.9) | 0.7 (0.6–0.8) | 0.217 |
| Sodium, mmol/l | 139 (137–140) | 139 (137–140) | 0.847 |
| Potassium, mmol/l | 4.3 (4.1–4.6) | 4.4 (4–4.6) | 0.847 |
| Carbon dioxide, mmol/l | 25 (24–25.5) | 24 (23–25.3) | 0.217 |
| Total bilirubin, mg/dl | 1.4 (0.7–2.3) | 2.0 (1.3–2.8) | 0.133 |
| ALT, U/l | 42 (32–77) | 40 (32–67) | 0.519 |
| AST, U/l | 68 (38–97) | 56 (40–78) | 0.606 |
| Albumin, g/dl | 3.6 (3.2–3.9) | 3.7 (2.8–3.7) | 0.797 |
| INR | 1.2 (1.1–1.3) | 1.3 (1.2–1.3) | 0.438 |
ALT, alanine aminotransferase; AST, aspartate aminotransferase; BMI, body mass index; CTP, Child-Turcotte-Pugh score; HCV, hepatitis C virus; HE, hepatic encephalopathy; HR, heart rate; HVPG, hepatic venous pressure gradient; INR, international normalized ratio; MAP, mean arterial pressure; MELD, model for end-stage liver disease; NASH, Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis; NSBB, non-selective beta-blockers.
Results are expressed as mean (s.d.), median (IQR) or relative frequencies. Statistical test Mann–Whitney U-test or χ2 or Fisher’s test as appropriate.