Abnormal cardiac and metabolic measures correlate significantly with lower performance and activity in overweight chronic liver disease

Abstract

Hypertension is directly associated with increased cardiovascular disease risk, renal insufficiency, and stroke as well as mortality. 1 Patients with hepatitis C (HCV) and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in the United States follow national trends toward a sedentary lifestyle and are increasingly at risk for hypertension 2-11 and its complications. NAFLD in particular is rising in prevalencebetween 13.48% and 31.79% of the global population, depending upon continent-and is the most rapidly increasing indication for liver transplant. 12-15 In addition to physiological and metabolic abnormalities, patients with chronic liver disease (CLD) are likely to have symptoms that favor a sedentary life style. 16 Associations between hypertension/pre-hypertension and physical activity and performance have been studied in people with diabetes and metabolic syndrome, but have not been well studied in NAFLD and HCV. Previous work has shown that high resting diastolic blood pressure in patients with liver disease is associated with low physical