Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital sign of health: a narrative review of evidences

Abstract

Hand grip strength (HGS) serves as a fundamental metric in assessing muscle function and overall physical capability and is particularly relevant to the ageing population. HGS holds an important connection to the concept of sarcopenia, which encompasses the age-related decline in muscle mass, strength, and function. It has also been reported to indicate the health of an individual. We reviewed the interplay between HGS and various health parameters, including morbidity and mortality, by carrying out a literature search on PubMed, Scopus and Google Scholar between 10 and 30 August 2023, to identify the relevant papers on the relationship between health and HGS. We used several keywords like ‘hand grip strength’, ‘muscle strength, ‘sarcopenia’, ‘osteosarcopenia’, ‘health biomarker’, ‘osteoporosis’, and ‘frailty’, to derive the appropriate literature for this review. This review has shown that the HGS can be measured reliably with a hand-held dynamometer. The cut-off values are different in various populations. It is lower in Asians, women, less educated and privileged, and those involved in sedentary work. Several diseases have shown a correlation with low HGS, e.g., Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, chronic kidney and liver disease, some cancers, sarcopenia and fragility fractures. The low HSG is also associated with increased hospitalization, nutritional status, overall mortality and quality of life. We believe that there is adequate evidence to show that HGS stands as an important biomarker of health. Its utility extends to the identification of diverse health issues and its potential as a new vital sign throughout the lifespan.

Sex Differences in the Impact of Dynapenic Abdominal Obesity on Mild Cognitive Impairment among Korean Elderly in the Community

“…Muscle strength was measured using the HGS, which can be easily measured in community and clinical settings [ 34 ]. Additionally, it is employed as a diagnostic criterion for sarcopenia and exhibits a high correlation with overall cognitive functions such as executive function, attention, and language [ 3 ].…”

Reliability of the biceps curl test and proposed percentiles in schoolchildren living at moderate altitude in Peru

“…Several studies have prioritized the assessment of muscular endurance through push-up, barbell suspension, isometric strength tests [37][38][39] . The results obtained through these tests show that they are important for determining physical tness and muscle development in children and adolescents.…”

Associations between Multiple Health Indicators and Carotid Artery Intima-Media Thickness in A Healthy and Active Elderly Population

“…Another study using a similar population as Ortega et al [30] have shown inverse associations between muscular strength and cIMT [31]. Handgrip strength has routinely been used in research as a marker of physical fitness [32]. Previous studies have normalized grip strength for weight, BMI, and fat mass [33].…”