TY - JOUR T1 - Impaired exercise capacity in early stage liver cirrhosis - a prospective cross-sectional study JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P4111 AU - Philipp Douschan AU - Gabor Kovacs AU - Rudolf Stauber AU - Vasile Foris AU - Andrea Olschewski AU - Horst Olschewski Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4111.abstract N2 - Background: Liver cirrhosis and portal hypertension may affect the cardiopulmonary system and may be associated with decreased exercise capacity. However, this has not been systematically addressed in clinical studies in patients with compensated stages of liver cirrhosis. Therefore we aimed to investigate the cardiovascular response to exercise in patients with cirrhosis and well-preserved liver function.Methods: Patients with liver cirrhosis from our outpatient liver clinic and inpatients without severe cardiopulmonary co-morbidities were invited to take part in a cardiopulmonary screening program including pulmonary function testing, blood gas analysis, echocardiography and symptom limited cardiopulmonary exercise testing.Results: Sixty-one consecutive patients were prospectively included (Child-Pugh A: 59%, Child-Pugh B: 39%, Child-Pugh C: 2%). Overall peak oxygen uptake (peak VO2) was 65±23%, suggesting an altered cardiopulmonary response during exercise. Forty-eight out of sixty-one patients had a decreased exercise capacity (peak VO2 ≤ 85% predicted). Subgroup analysis revealed that Child-Pugh B patients had lower peak VO2 compared to Child-Pugh A patients (58±19% vs. 71±24%, p=0.029). In addition, Child-Pugh B patients tended to have a lower diffusion capacity (DLCOcVA: 83±13% vs. 92±20%, p=0.098).Conclusion: Our preliminary data suggest that impairment of exercise capacity and alteration of gas exchange parameters are common findings in patients suffering from early stages of hepatic cirrhosis. These alterations are related to the severity of the underlying liver disease. ER -