Table 2.
Baseline and End of Study measurements comparing all patients randomized to exercise (HET) versus usual care (UC).
| Exercise Training Group (HET) | Usual Care Group (UC) | Between group mean changes (95% CI) | ANCOVA p value between groups | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline | Study End | Within group p-value | Baseline | Study End | Within group p-value | |||
| Cardiorespiratory and exercise capacity measures | ||||||||
| Peak VO2 (L/min) | 1.44 ± 0.40 | 1.57 ± 0.56 | 0.04 | 1.87 ± 0.66 | 1.87 ± 0.70 | 0.98 | 0.15 (−0.03 to 0.32) | 0.095 |
| Peak VO2 (mL/kg/min) | 17.3 ± 4.5 | 19.0 ± 6.4 | 0.03 | 21.0 ± 6.1 | 21.2 ± 6.3 | 0.80 | 1.7 (−0.33 to 3.7) | 0.098 |
| Peak Power output (Watts) | 120.0 ± 41.7 | 125.0 ± 52.2 | 0.27 | 149.8 ± 50.9 | 146.5 ± 59.9 | 0.47 | 12.5 (−0.08 to 25.0) | 0.051 |
| Peak Heart rate (bpm) | 130.4 ± 23.0 | 126.5 ± 22.4 | 0.09 | 139.8 ± 22.3 | 138.2 ± 22.7 | 0.72 | −4.0 (−11.4 to 3.5) | 0.29 |
| Peak Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 157.4 ± 23.7 | 150.4 ± 20.0 | 0.04 | 157.5 ± 21.0 | 152.5 ± 16.4 | 0.007 | −0.56 (−7.4 to 6.3) | 0.87 |
| 6-Minute walk distance (m) | 476.0 ± 89.8 | 490.7 ± 104.1 | 0.08 | 520.8 ± 92.2 | 500.4 ± 91.8 | 0.08 | 33.7 (5.1 to 62.4) | 0.02 |
| Anthropometric measures | ||||||||
| Thigh Circumference (cm) | 50.6 ± 5.8 | 52.4 ± 6.6 | 0.024 | 51.2 ± 5.8 | 51.8 ± 5.5 | 0.23 | 1.20 (−0.58 to 2.98) | 0.18 |
| Average Feather Index (cm/m2)* | 1.25 ± 0.40 | 1.31 ± 0.38 | 0.05 | 1.21 ± 0.26 | 1.27 ± 0.24 | 0.07 | 0.005 (−0.08 to 0.09) | 0.91 |
| Average Compression Index (cm/m2)* | 0.75 ± 0.27 | 0.77 ± 0.25 | 0.30 | 0.75 ± 0.18 | 0.73 ± 0.19 | 0.72 | 0.04 (−0.04 to 0.12) | 0.33 |
| Body Mass Index (kg/m2) | 29.3 ± 5.2 | 29.3 ± 5.1 | 0.74 | 28.9 ± 5.1 | 29.2 ± 5.0 | 0.90 | 0.12 (−0.6 to 0.85) | 0.73 |
| Body Weight (kg) | 84.6 ± 15.6 | 84.8 ± 14.7 | 0.85 | 88.1 ± 16.9 | 89.1 ± 16.4 | 0.82 | −0.005 (−2.0 to 2.0) | 0.99 |
| Quality of life and liver function parameters | ||||||||
| EQ-VAS | 63.0 ± 16.9 | 62.6 ± 16.4 | 0.91 | 70.4 ± 24.8 | 72.9 ± 18.5 | 0.58 | 7.01 (−16.6 to 2.6) | 0.15 |
| CLDQ | ||||||||
| Total | 5.06 ± 1.09 | 4.76 ± 1.16 | 0.13 | 5.22 ± 1.36 | 5.03 ± 1.34 | 0.29 | 0.15 (−0.40 to 0.66) | 0.57 |
| Abdominal Symptoms | 5.43 ± 1.54 | 5.30 ± 1.43 | 0.66 | 4.93 ± 1.82 | 5.32 ± 1.71 | 0.06 | −0.23 (−0.91 to 0.45) | 0.49 |
| Systemic Symptoms | 5.01 ± 1.12 | 4.53 ± 1.36 | 0.07 | 5.04 ± 1.51 | 5.10 ± 1.49 | 0.72 | 0.55 (−0.06 to 1.15) | 0.07 |
| Activity | 5.08 ± 1.42 | 4.73 ± 1.50 | 0.20 | 5.32 ± 1.71 | 4.77 ± 2.13 | 0.21 | −0.12 (−1.11 to 0.86) | 0.80 |
| Emotional Function | 5.31 ± 1.04 | 4.84 ± 1.22 | 0.03 | 5.63 ± 1.32 | 5.46 ± 1.33 | 0.23 | 0.34 (−0.14 to 0.82) | 0.16 |
| Worry | 5.30 ± 1.33 | 5.18 ± 1.37 | 0.59 | 5.42 ± 1.69 | 5.34 ± 1.75 | 0.83 | 0.08 (−0.71 to 0.88) | 0.83 |
| Fatigue | 4.28 ± 1.53 | 4.14 ± 1.35 | 0.55 | 4.46 ± 1.52 | 4.16 ± 1.68 | 0.24 | −0.12 (−0.77 to 0.53) | 0.72 |
| MELD | 9.05 ± 2.61 | 9.57 ± 2.51 | 0.47 | 9.71 ± 3.16 | 10.3 ± 3.65 | 0.59 | 0.35 (−2.02 to 2.73) | 0.76 |
| Child-Pugh score | 6.35 ± 1.46 | 6.53 ± 1.46 | 0.85 | 6.26 ± 1.24 | 6.42 ± 1.46 | 0.72 | 0.44 (−0.21 to 1.09) | 0.18 |
| ALT (units/L) | 46.8 ± 38.27 | 47.19 ± 50.53 | 0.98 | 44.69 ± 37.2 | 40.1 ± 33.3 | 0.67 | −4.3 (−14.2 to 5.6) | 0.001 |
| Bilirubin (µmol/L) | 23.53 ± 16.3 | 27.2 ± 20.4 | 0.65 | 37.3 ± 51.3 | 34 ± 40.5 | 0.83 | −3.9 (−18.6 to 10.8) | 0.59 |
| Albumin (g/L) | 38.1 ± 4.50 | 37.1 ± 5.27 | 0.72 | 37.8 ± 4.44 | 37.9 ± 4.92 | 0.95 | −0.69 (−3.4 to 2.05) | 0.61 |
Abbreviations: CLDQ, Chronic Liver Disease Questionnaire; EQ-VAS, EQ-Visual Analogue Scale; MELD, Model for End Stage Liver Disease; VO2, oxygen uptake.