Lower Hand Grip Strength predicts poor outcomes in COVID-19 Pneumonia patients

A recent investigation found that Hand grip strength that is measured at hospital admission independently and inversely predicts the risk of poor outcomes in people with COVID-19-related pneumonia. The study was published in the journal, "Internal and Emergency Medicine." 

Hand Grip Strength (HGS) is a simple, reproducible tool for the evaluation of muscular strength and is independently associated with negative prognosis in many diseases. As muscular involvement is one of the clinical manifestations of the multisystem COVID-19 syndrome, researchers conducted a study to understand if measuring the hand grip strength is prognostically relevant in COVID-19. 

HGS measurement of 118 patients hospitalized at the "Santa Maria" Terni University Hospital for COVID-19-related pneumonia and respiratory failure was taken using Jamar hand-dynamometer at ward admission. HGS was normalized to weight2/3(nHGS). The first occurrence of death and/or endotracheal intubation at 14 days was the main endpoint. 

Results: 

• Twenty-two patients reached the main endpoint.
• In the Kaplan–Meyer analysis, the Log-rank test showed significant differences between subjects with lower than mean HGS normalized to weight^2/3(nHGS) vs subjects with higher than mean nHGS.

• In a Cox-proportional hazard model, nHGS inversely predicted the main endpoint, independently of age, sex, body mass index, the ratio of partial pressure arterial oxygen n and fraction of inspired oxygen (PaO2/FiO2 ratio), hypertension, diabetes, estimated glomerular filtration rate and history of previous cardiovascular disease. 
• These two latter also showed an independent association with the main endpoint. 

Thus, the researchers concluded that mean HGS normalized to weight2/3that is measured at hospital admission, independently and inversely predicts the risk of poor outcomes in people with COVID-19-related pneumonia. They further added that evaluation of HGS helps in early stratifying the risk of adverse prognosis in COVID-19. 

To read the full article, click here: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11739-022-03060-3 

Pucci, G., D'Abbondanza, M., Curcio, R. et al. Handgrip strength is associated with adverse outcomes in patients hospitalized for COVID-19-associated pneumonia. Intern Emerg Med (2022).