Abstract
Hands may show early signs of aging with altered skin texture, skin permeability and vascular properties. In clinics, a hand volumeter is used to measure swelling of hands due to edema, carpal tunnel syndrome or drug interventions. The hand volume measurements are generally taken without taking age into consideration. We hypothesized that age affects hand volumeter measurements and that the younger age group (≤40 years) records a greater change in hand volume as compared to the older group (>40 years). Four volumetric measurements were taken at 5 min intervals during 20 min of water immersion using a clinically-approved hand volumeter. After 20 min of immersion, the hand volume changes of the younger age group were significantly higher than the older age group (p < 0.001). Specifically, the right-hand volume of the younger age group (≤40 years, n = 30) increased by 4.3 ± 2%, and the left hand increased by 3.4 ± 2.1%. Conversely, the right-hand volume of the older age group (>40 years, n = 10) increased by 2.2 ± 2.0%, and the left hand decreased by 0.6 ± 2.4% after 20 min of water immersion. The data are presented as Mean ± SD. Hand volume changes were not correlated with body mass index (BMI) or gender, and furthermore, neither of these two variables affected the relationship between age and hand volume changes with water immersion. We conclude that the younger age group has a higher increase in hand volume with water immersion as compared to the older age group.
Highlights
Hand volume measurements by water immersion are used extensively in the clinical setting for measuring swelling of limbs due to post-mastectomy lymphedema (Karges et al, 2003), carpal tunnel syndrome (Braun et al, 1989), rheumatoid arthritis (Rembe, 1970) and post-traumatic conditions (Griffin et al, 1990)
The younger age group had significantly higher changes in hand volume after 20 min of water immersion compared to the older age group (Figure 1)
The results suggested that body mass index (BMI) may not be associated with age and hand volume changes
Summary
Hand volume measurements by water immersion are used extensively in the clinical setting for measuring swelling of limbs due to post-mastectomy lymphedema (Karges et al, 2003), carpal tunnel syndrome (Braun et al, 1989), rheumatoid arthritis (Rembe, 1970) and post-traumatic conditions (Griffin et al, 1990). The degree of swelling is graded based on the weight of water displaced after hand immersion. Due to consistent results and ease of performance with limited resources, water displacement is considered a gold standard for hand volume measurements in several diseases. This technique is popular in less developed countries with scarce resources and poor clinical facilities. One issue with this technique is that when hand volume measurements are made in the clinic, patient age is generally not taken into account while interpreting the differences in hand volume pre and post-water immersion
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
