Hand grip strength is associated with forced expiratory volume in 1 second among subjects with COPD: report from a population-based cohort study

• Published in: International journal of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Vol. 11; no. 1; pp. 2527 - 2534
• Main Authors: Johansson Strandkvist, Viktor, Backman, Helena, Roding, Jenny, Stridsman, Caroline, Lindberg, Anne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Ltd 01.01.2016; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: Adult; Age; Age Distribution; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Angina pectoris; Body mass index; Cardiovascular disease; Case-Control Studies; chronic obstructive (COPD); Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Comorbidity; COPD; Dyspnea; Epidemiology; Female; Forced Expiratory Volume; Fysioterapi; Hand Strength; Health Status; Heart; Heart diseases; Heart Diseases - diagnosis; Heart Diseases - epidemiology; Heart Diseases - physiopathology; Humans; idemiology; Lung - physiopathology; Lung diseases; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; Muscle strength; Muscle strength dynamometer; Muscle, Skeletal - physiopathology; Musculoskeletal system; Nursing; Omvårdnad; Original Research; Physiotherapy; Population; Population-based studies; Pulmonary disease; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - diagnosis; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - epidemiology; Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive - physiopathology; Questionnaires; Regression analysis; Risk Factors; Severity of Illness Index; Sex Distribution; Sexes; Spirometry; Surveys and Questionnaires; Sweden - epidemiology; Values; Vital Capacity; United States > US; Sweden; muscle strength; muscle strength dynamometer; epidemiology; pulmonary disease; heart diseases; COPD
• ISSN: 1178-2005; 1176-9106; 1178-2005
• DOI: 10.2147/COPD.S114154

Cardiovascular diseases and skeletal muscle dysfunction are common comorbidities in COPD. Hand grip strength (HGS) is related to general muscle strength and is associated with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality, while the results from small selected COPD populations are contradictory. The aim of this population-based study was to compare HGS among the subjects with and without COPD, to evaluate HGS in relation to COPD severity, and to evaluate the impact of heart disease. Data were collected from the Obstructive Lung disease in Northern Sweden COPD study, where the subjects with and without COPD have been invited to annual examinations since 2005. In 2009-2010, 441 subjects with COPD (postbronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 second [FEV ]/vital capacity <0.70) and 570 without COPD participated in structured interviews, spirometry, and measurements of HGS. The mean HGS was similar when comparing subjects with and without COPD, but those with heart disease had lower HGS than those without. When compared by Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) grades, the subjects with GOLD 3-4 had lower HGS than those without COPD in both sexes (females 21.4 kg vs 26.9 kg, =0.010; males 41.5 kg vs 46.3 kg, =0.038), and the difference persisted also when adjusted for confounders. Among the subjects with COPD, HGS was associated with FEV % of predicted value but not heart disease when adjusted for height, age, sex, and smoking habits, and the pattern was similar among males and females. In this population-based study, the subjects with GOLD 3-4 had lower HGS than the subjects without COPD. Among those with COPD, HGS was associated with FEV % of predicted value but not heart disease, and the pattern was similar in both sexes.