Department of Geriatrics, The First Affiliated Hospital, Sun Yat-sen University, 58 Zhongshan 2nd Road, Yuexiu District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510000, PR China.
Aging Clin Exp Res. 2024 Nov 25;36(1):225. doi: 10.1007/s40520-024-02886-5.
Handgrip strength (HGS) weakness and asymmetry are both abnormal conditions of upper-limb muscle strength. The association between HGS weakness and physical performance is controversial, and the link between HGS asymmetry and physical performance remains unclear.
This study aimed to investigate the associations of HGS weakness and asymmetry separately and concurrently with low physical performance among Chinese older people.
The study used two waves of data from China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) in 2013 and 2015. HGS weakness and asymmetry were defined according to the maximal HGS and the HGS ratio, respectively. Participants were classified into 4 groups according to HGS status: normal, asymmetry only, weakness only, and concurrent weakness and asymmetry. The logistic regression model was used to investigate the cross-sectional association between low physical performance and each of maximal HGS, HGS ratio, and HGS status, as well as the prospective association between baseline HGS status and new-onset physical performance decline after two years.
Participants with HGS asymmetry only, weakness only, and two abnormalities showed a higher prevalence of low physical performance when asymmetry defined as an HGS ratio exceeding 1.20 and 1.30 (all, p < 0.001), with the greatest odds in those with two abnormalities (20% threshold: OR 3.83; 30% threshold: OR 5.41). The longitudinal analysis found that HGS weakness can predict the new-onset low physical performance over a two-year period, with concurrent HGS asymmetry further increased the future risk of physical performance decline.
Both HGS weakness and asymmetry were associated with a higher prevalence of low physical performance, in an additive way. This study will help screen older people with low physical performance more efficiently, and identify those at higher risk of developing new-onset physical performance decline within two years.
手握力（HGS）减弱和不对称都是上肢肌肉力量异常的情况。HGS 减弱与身体表现之间的关联存在争议，而 HGS 不对称与身体表现之间的联系尚不清楚。
本研究旨在分别和同时研究 HGS 减弱和不对称与中国老年人低身体表现的关系。
本研究使用了中国健康与退休纵向研究（CHARLS）在 2013 年和 2015 年的两波数据。根据最大 HGS 和 HGS 比值，分别定义 HGS 减弱和不对称。根据 HGS 状态，将参与者分为 4 组：正常、仅不对称、仅减弱和同时减弱和不对称。使用逻辑回归模型研究低身体表现与最大 HGS、HGS 比值和 HGS 状态之间的横断面关联，以及基线 HGS 状态与两年后新发生的身体表现下降之间的前瞻性关联。
当不对称定义为 HGS 比值超过 1.20 和 1.30 时，仅不对称、仅减弱和两种异常的参与者表现出更高的低身体表现患病率（均，p<0.001），其中两种异常的患者的优势比最大（20%阈值：OR 3.83；30%阈值：OR 5.41）。纵向分析发现 HGS 减弱可以预测两年内新发生的低身体表现，同时 HGS 不对称进一步增加了身体表现下降的未来风险。
HGS 减弱和不对称都与低身体表现的更高患病率相关，呈累加方式。本研究将有助于更有效地筛选低身体表现的老年人，并识别出在两年内新发生身体表现下降的高风险人群。
