Hold tight! Weak hand grip might be a sign of several ailments, finds new study

New Delhi: An individual’s grip strength is an important biomarker of health as several diseases — including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, stroke, chronic kidney and liver ailments, some cancers, sarcopenia and fragility fractures — have shown a correlation with low grip strength. This was revealed in a review study conducted by doctors in Delhi.

The recently published study, “Hand grip strength as a proposed new vital sign of health: a narrative review of evidences”, was conducted by Dr (Prof) Raju Vaishya, senior consultant, orthopaedic, joint replacement & arthroscopic surgery, Apollo Hospital, and Dr Anoop Misra, executive chairman & director, diabetes and endocrinology, Fortis C-Doc Hospital.

The authors stated that low hand grip strength (HGS) is also associated with increased hospitalisation, nutritional status, overall mortality and quality of life.

The co-author of the study, Dr Anoop Misra, from Fortis C-Doc Hospital, said, “Every individual who is 18 years and above can go for it.”

He advised that this test should be a part of preventive health check up as it first indicates whether the person has sarcopenia (gradual loss of muscle mass, strength and function). “Muscle loss is correlated with several diseases,” he said.

Pointing out the top 10 risk factors for major cardiovascular disease (CVD) and all-cause mortality globally quoted in the study, Dr Misra said the number one risk factor for CVD is hypertension, while number nine is low hand grip strength, which means it is as important as other factors. As far as death is concerned, it is number three on all-cause mortality globally. Hence, it is terribly important to get a grip test done.

Emphasising the importance of this test, Dr Misra said that sarcopenia is very common among Indians. Studies have shown that low muscle strength in the Indian population independently of weight is associated with diabetes. “Not only fat mass and excess abdominal fat, low muscle strength is an equally important factor,” he said.

The study indicated that among Indians with a mean age of 44 years, the cut-off for low grip strength in males was less than 27.5 kg, while for females it was less than 18 kg.

Dr (Prof) Raju Vaishya told TOI, “If hand grip strength is less than 27.5 kg (in men), it means that their muscles are weak. Then the person should be careful and get himself investigated for medical conditions like bone strength, diabetes, blood pressure, heart problems, and sometimes cancer screening because they are associated.”

He added that traditionally, the four vital signs of health were temperature, pulse/heart rate, blood pressure, and respiratory rate.

“With the advancement of medical knowledge, investigations and the diversity of medical diseases, some new vital signs have been proposed like blood sugar and oxygen saturation measurements. We identified the measurement of hand grip strength as a reliable health indicator that can serve as another vital sign of health, ” he said, adding that it is a simple, inexpensive and reliable test that can be done easily by any physician using a hand-held dynamometer.

According to doctors, once low muscle strength is found, then apart from walking, people should do resistance exercises — with weights or TheraBand, which actually put muscles into a resistance mode. “Muscle development is additionally required apart from walking,” said Dr Misra.