Abstract
OBJECTIVE:The aim of the present study was to verify if there is sex difference in the associations among handgrip strength, peak expiratory flow (PEF) and timed up and go (TUG) test results.METHODS:The sample included 288 consecutive elderly men (n=93) and women (n=195). Functional capacity was measured using the TUG test, and muscle strength was measured based on handgrip. Moreover, as a measure of current health status, PEF was evaluated. Linear regression procedures were performed to analyze the relationships between handgrip and both PEF and TUG test results, with adjustment for confounders, and to identify the possible mediating role of PEF in the association between handgrip strength and TUG test results.RESULTS:In men, handgrip strength was associated with both PEF and TUG performance (p<0.01). After adjustment for PEF, the relationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance remained significant. In women, handgrip strength was also associated with both PEF and TUG performance (p<0.01). However, after adjustment for PEF, the relationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance was no longer significant.CONCLUSION:Mobility in the elderly is sex dependent. In particular, PEF mediates the relationship between handgrip strength and TUG performance in women, but not in men.
Highlights
Many factors have been associated with loss of functionality during aging and it is well known that central and peripheral mechanisms can be involved in the process [1]
The main result of this study was that peak expiratory flow (PEF) mediates the relationship between handgrip strength and timed up and go (TUG) performance in women, but not in men
Our results indicated that in both sexes, muscle strength was associated with mobility
Summary
Many factors have been associated with loss of functionality during aging and it is well known that central and peripheral mechanisms can be involved in the process [1]. Power, and balance and provokes modifications in the pulmonary system, such as thoracic stiffness, decreased pulmonary compliance and reduced respiratory muscle function [2]. The sum of all these alterations is partially responsible for maintaining a vicious cycle of loss of muscle mass, which culminates in sarcopenia and fragility, in turn causing more mobility limitations and functional impairment [3]. The interrelationship between the pulmonary and the muscular systems has been described in the literature.
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