Isometric muscle strength in alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver-transplantation candidates

Intensity of isometric muscle contractions was measured in alcoholic subjects with cirrhosis (N = 42), nonalcoholic subjects with cirrhosis (N = 33), and normal controls (N = 31). Muscle strength and endurance were comparable in the alcoholic and nonalcoholic cirrhotic subjects for all variables. Both cirrhotic groups were inferior to normal controls for all variables. The quantity x frequency (Q x F) index reported for the period during peak alcohol consumption correlated with 6 muscle-force variables, accounting for 9-20% of the variance. Alcoholic and nonalcoholic cirrhotic subjects did not differ in Quality of Life Inventory (QOLI) scales. Significant correlations, however, were found for the alcoholic cirrhotic subjects but not for the nonalcoholic cirrhotic subjects between quality-of-life indices and muscle strength and endurance. Muscle weakness is thus differentially associated with quality of life in alcoholic cirrhotic subjects as compared with nonalcoholic subjects with cirrhosis even though level of strength and endurance in the two groups is comparable.