Abstract
BackgroundHandgrip strength (HGS) has been widely studied in clinical and epidemiological settings, but the relationship between HGS and pulmonary function is still controversial. This study analysed pulmonary function and HGS stratified by sex and age in a healthy Chinese Han population, as well as the associations between HGS and pulmonary function parameters.MethodsHGS was measured by a Jamar dynamometer and pulmonary function was tested using a portable spirometer. Frequencies and variables are presented as percentages and means ± standard deviations, respectively. Chi-square tests were used for comparisons of categorical variables, and Student’s t-tests or Mann–Whitney U-tests were used for continuous variables. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to analyse the normally distributed variables, and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to analyse the non-normally distributed variables. Multivariate linear regression models were employed to explore the relationships between HGS and parameters of pulmonary function. The statistical significance was set at p < 0.01.ResultsCross-sectional data were available for 1519 subjects (59.0% females, 57.9 ± 13.3 years old). Males had higher average HGS than females (40.2 vs. 25.0 kg, p < 0.01), as well as better pulmonary function. Both HGS and pulmonary function parameters were significantly inversely correlated with age (r ≤ − 0.30, p < 0.01). The maximum value of vital capacity (VC max), forced expiratory volume in 3 s (FEV 3) and forced vital capacity (FVC) were strongly correlated with HGS among the pulmonary function indices (r = 0.72, 0.70 and 0.69, respectively, p < 0.001). In the multivariate linear regression analysis, HGS and height were positively correlated, while age and pulse pressure were negatively correlated with HGS. In males, the FVC, VC max and FEV3 increased by 0.02 L, 0.023 L and 0.03 L in per 1 kg increase in HGS, respectively. The HGS coefficients for females were smaller than those for males.ConclusionsBoth pulmonary function and HGS were inversely correlated with age, and better pulmonary function was associated with greater handgrip strength.
Highlights
Handgrip strength (HGS) has been widely studied in clinical and epidemiological settings, but the relationship between HGS and pulmonary function is still controversial
After we identified a linear correlation between HGS and pulmonary function, multivariate linear regression models with VC max, forced expiratory volume in 3 s (FEV 3) and forced vital capacity (FVC) as dependent variables were conducted to assess the influence of HGS on pulmonary function, with age, height, systolic blood pressure (SBP) and pulse pressure (PP) as independent covariates and “stepwise” as the variable filtering method
Handgrip strength and pulmonary function were negatively associated with age The average HGS was significantly higher in the younger group (33.3 kg) than in the older group (27.6 kg) (p < 0.01)
Summary
Handgrip strength (HGS) has been widely studied in clinical and epidemiological settings, but the relationship between HGS and pulmonary function is still controversial. This study analysed pulmonary function and HGS stratified by sex and age in a healthy Chinese Han population, as well as the associations between HGS and pulmonary function parameters. Pulmonary and musculoskeletal function decline with age, and this phenomenon is not limited to the elderly population. The decline in muscle strength starts at approximately 30 years old and becomes progressive after the age of 65 years [2, 3]. The mean handgrip strength (HGS) declines from 45.5 kg to 23.2 kg for males and from 27.1 kg to 12.8 kg for females between the ages of 25 years and 95 years [4]. Pulmonary function declines even in the absence of pulmonary disease [5, 6], and it is regarded as an independent predictor of mortality
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