Fatigue, level of everyday physical activity and quality of life after liver transplantation

Objective: To assess whether liver transplant recipients have a hypoactive (sedentary) lifestyle and whether the level of everyday physical activity is related to complaints of fatigue. In addition, we explored the relationship between activity level and health-related quality of life. Design: Case comparison. Subjects. Eight persons 6-36 months after liver transplantation with varying severity of fatigue and 8 persons without known impairments (matched for gender, age, social situation and employment). Methods: Activity levels were assessed during 2 randomly selected consecutive weekdays with an accelerometry-based Activity Monitor. In the transplantation group, severity of fatigue (Fatigue Severity Scale) and health-related quality of life (RAND-36) were also assessed. Results: Five liver transplant recipients had a hypoactive lifestyle, but there was no significant difference in activity level between the transplantation group and comparison group. Severity of fatigue was correlated (p = 0.01) with both duration of dynamic activities and intensity of everyday activity (rs= -0.81 and -0.84, respectively). Activity level was correlated (p ≤ 0.05) with several domains of health-related quality of life (rs = 0.72-0.78). Conclusion: As a group, liver transplant recipients were not significantly less active than comparison subjects. Activity level was related with severity of fatigue and health-related quality of life. These findings have implications for the development of interventions needed to rehabilitate persons after liver transplantation.

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