The association between grip strength and nutritional status in bed-ridden patients aged more than 80 years old

Abstract

Objective To study the association between grip strength and nutritional status in bed-ridden patients aged more than 80 years old. Methods The venous blood among twenty-two older than 80 years patients who were bed-ridden for more than 1 year were collected and the serum albumin and hemoglobin were analyzed. The left and right hand grip strength were tested with JAMAR Hand Dynamometer. Results Hand-grip strength was positively correlated with serum albumin (r=0.439 and 0.424, P<0.05). Pearson correlation showed that age and hemoglobin were significant independent predictors of hand-grip strength. Conclusions Hand-grip strength was positively correlated with nutritional status in bed-ridden elderly patients, as a result the hand-grip strength can evaluate the nutritional status. Key words: Hand strength; Nutrition assessment; Aged, 80 and over