Exercise and liver disease.

Although more than 30 years have elapsed since the appearance of the first reports demonstrating that physical activity had no detrimental effect in patients with acute viral hepatitis, bedrest seems to still be widely practised. More recent reports have also shown that exercise during the acute phase may help preserve the physical capacity of the patients. Following acute viral hepatitis patients may start training earlier than previously presumed. Restriction of physical activity has also been widely practised in patients with chronic liver disorders. Most groups of patients studied so far seem to tolerate physical activity well without deterioration of the liver function, and regular training in patients with chronic active hepatitis resulted in increased oxygen consumption and improved working capacity. Thus, physical activity may be of benefit to most patients with acute or chronic liver diseases.