Hand grip strength an indicator of several health problems: Study

By Shalini Bhardwaj
New Delhi [India], January 24 : Hand Grip Strength, the force generated by one's forearm muscles, is a significant indicator of one's overall health.
Dr Anoop Mishra, chairman of Fortis-C-DOC Centre of Excellence for Diabetes, ametabolic Diseases and Endocrinology, said patients should get their handgrip test done to know muscle power and overall fitness.
"All patients coming for check should get their handgrip test done. It is easy to do, and gives us an idea about muscle power, and overall health of the patients, including the tendency to develop diabetes, heart disease, and even cancer," he told ANI.
Dr Mishra also suggested that people should exercise and eat a proper diet to enhance their muscle power.
"People with low handgrip should be advised diet and appropriate resistance exercises, which may improve muscle strength," he said.
"For indicating general health of the person, blood pressure measurement, pulse temperature and respiratory rate have been there for centuries. But recently we have realised that we need to have more vital signs, which apply to the present population and diseases that are prevalent, like blood sugar measurement, pulse oximeter measurement, and also we have found in the recent research, that handgrip strength can be a very good vital sign that indicates the possibility of having certain diseases in a person," said Dr Raju Vaishya, Sr. consultant, Orthopaedic, Appollo hospital
Low grip strength not only signals a disease but also chances of mortality, he added.
"Those who have lower handgrip strength like diabetes, cardiovascular disease sarcopenia fragility fractures, and it also increases the chances of that person having higher mortality compared to a normal person," said Dr Vaishya.
Meanwhile, a study asserted that several diseases correlate with low Hand grip strength.
"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. The thorough analysis of existing data and various health parameters demonstrates significant associations between HGS and health outcomes, including mortality. This study suggests that HGS could be proposed as a new vital sign, offering valuable insights for clinical practice and public health," stated the study.
"The HHD produces a measure of isometric strength that allows identifying not only muscle weakness of the
upper limb but also providing an indicative of overall strength since it reflects the strength of the lower limbs. If the HGS is tested in a standing position, it is likely to capture lower body and core muscle strength, which is used in balance and exertion of force. In contrast, the HGS tested in a seated position measures the strength of smaller muscle groups of the hand and wrist and is more localized to the upper body," it added.
Hand Grip Strength is a measure of muscular strength or the maximum force generated by one's arm muscles.