Female Sex But Not Original Indication Affects Physical Activity After Liver Transplant: A Prospective, Single Center...

Physical activity has an effect on long-term recovery after major surgical operations including liver transplant. Seven-Day Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire is a semistructured survey that assesses an individual's time spent in physical activity, strength, and flexibility activities during the 7 days prior to the interview. In this study we applied the Seven-Day Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire in patients who underwent liver transplant in our center.

We surveyed 107 consecutive patients (62 male and 45 female), who were ≥ 6 months after liver transplant. Patients were divided into 3 groups, depending on time after liver transplant: group A (n = 21), 6 to 12 months posttransplant; group B (n = 48), 13 to 36 months posttransplant; and group C (n = 38), > 37 months posttransplant. Relations were analyzed between physical activity and various factors including sex, age at procedure and survey, time after grafting, original diagnosis, and body mass index.

Female patients were significantly less active in daily and weekly measurements (981 ± 212 kcal vs 1267 ± 229 kcal; P < .0001) (6864 ± 1484 kcal vs 8866 ± 1607 kcal; P < .0001). There was a negative correlation between physical activity and age at transplant (P = .02) and survey (P = .02). Neither the time after liver transplant nor the original diagnosis before grafting affected physical activity.

Female patients, when assessed with Seven-Day Physical Activity Recall Questionnaire, were significantly less physically active than male subjects after liver transplant. Younger patients were more active, but primary diagnosis had no significant effect on physical activity after grafting.