Handgrip Strength Cannot Be Assumed a Proxy for Overall Muscle Strength
Abstract
Objectives
Dynapenia, low muscle strength, is predictive for negative health outcomes and is usually expressed as handgrip strength (HGS). Whether HGS can be a proxy for overall muscle strength and whether this depends on age and health status is controversial. This study assessed the agreement between HGS and knee extension strength (KES) in populations differing in age and health status.
Design
Data were retrieved from 5 cohorts.
Setting and Participants
Community, geriatric outpatient clinics, and a hospital. Five cohorts (960 individuals, 49.8% male) encompassing healthy young and older individuals, geriatric outpatients, and older individuals post hip fracture were included.
Measures
HGS and KES were measured according to the protocol of each cohort. Pearson correlation was performed to analyze the association between HGS and KES, stratified by sex. HGS and KES were standardized into sex-specific z scores. The agreement between standardized HGS and standardized KES at population level and individual level were assessed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland-Altman analysis.
Results
Pearson correlation coefficients were low in healthy young (male: 0.36 to 0.45, female: 0.45) and healthy older individuals (male: 0.35 to 0.37, female: 0.44), and moderate in geriatric outpatients (male and female: 0.54) and older individuals post hip fracture (male: 0.44, female: 0.57) (P < .05, except for male older individuals post hip fracture [P = .07]). Intraclass correlation coefficient values were poor to moderate in all populations (ie, healthy young individuals [0.41, 0.45], healthy older individuals [0.37, 0.41, 0.44], geriatric outpatients [0.54], and older individuals post hip fracture [0.54]). Bland-Altman analysis showed that within the same population of age and health status, agreement between HGS and KES varied on individual level.
Conclusions
At both population and individual level, HGS and KES showed a low to moderate agreement independently of age and health status. HGS alone should not be assumed a proxy for overall muscle strength.
Main Authors
Format
Articles
Research article
Published
2018
Series
Subjects
Publication in research information system
Publisher
Elsevier
The permanent address of the publication
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-201905072426Use this for linking
Review status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1538-9375
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2018.04.019
Language
English
Published in
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association
Citation
- Yeung, S. S., Reijnierse, E. M., Trappenburg, M. C., Hogrel, J.-Y., McPhee, J. S., Piasecki, M., Sipilä, S., Salpakoski, A., Butler-Browne, G., Pääsuke, M., Gapeyeva, H., Narici, M. V., Meskers, C. G., & Maier, A. B. (2018). Handgrip Strength Cannot Be Assumed a Proxy for Overall Muscle Strength. Journal of the American Medical Directors Association, 19(8), 703-709. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jamda.2018.04.019
License
Funder(s)
European Commission
Funding program(s)
MSCA Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, H2020
MSCA Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, H2020
Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor EACEA can be held responsible for them.
Additional information about funding
This study was supported by the seventh framework program MYOAGE (HEALTH-2007-2.4.5-10), the United Kingdom Medical Research Council (MR/K025252/1) as part of the Lifelong Health and Wellbeing initiative, the Dutch Technology Foundation STW, and The Ministry of Education and Culture, Kela-The Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Juho Vainio Foundation. This study has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 675003. http://www.birmingham.ac.uk/panini
Copyright© Elsevier, 2018.