Physical activity as a protective factor against development of liver steatosis in patients infected with hepatitis C

Study aim: Was to verify whether the regular practice of physical activity promotes some protective factor against the develop­ment of LS in patients infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV). Materials and method: Clinical data were obtained through medical records available at the Pernambuco Liver Institute. Physi­cal activity levels were obtained through the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form to classify the patients according to the guidelines of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM). Results: The sample consisted of patients of both genders, over 18 years of age, who had positive anti-HCV, HCV-RNA and confirmatory tests for presence or absence of liver steatosis. 126 patients were included in the study. Patients with liver steatosis (G1) were more frequently male (57%) compared to patients without liver steatosis (G2) (p = 0.02). Physical activity analysis showed significant differences for GGT (p = 0.04), HDL (p = 0.04), AF (p = 0.02), viral genotype 3 (p = 0.04) and waist-to-hip ratio (p = 0.01) in anthropometric data. Correlation analysis showed a significant difference for GGT (r = -0.23; p = 0.01) and total bilirubin (BT) (r = -0.22; p = 0.01). Conclusions: Regular practice of physical activity generates a protective factor against the development of LS in patients in­fected by the hepatitis C virus and it is associated with the maintenance of variables related to hepatic and biochemical damage in patients infected with HCV.