Decline In Handgrip Strength Research Articles

Muscle Weakness after Muscle Relaxants: An Audit of Clinical Practice

Residual muscle weakness after general anaesthesia, assessed using handgrip strength, was audited in a teaching hospital. The relationships between residual weakness, the use of muscle relaxants and patient characteristics were examined. Handgrip strength was measured preoperatively, one hour postoperatively and one day postoperatively using a hand dynamometer in 151 patients having general anaesthesia. Forty-nine patients received no muscle relaxant, 34 patients received vecuronium and 68 received rocuronium. Patients were managed by their anaesthetist according to that anaesthetist's clinical choice. All patients who received muscle relaxants received neostigmine. One hour postoperatively, there was a decline in handgrip strength of 16% for the no relaxant group, 24% for vecuronium and 29% for rocuronium. The degree of weakness for the relaxant groups was unrelated to age (P=0.89) but was strongly influenced by the patient's sex. Almost all of the increased weakness with relaxants was found in the female patients. The mean decline in handgrip strength in the male patients who received either vecuronium or rocuronium was similar to that seen when relaxants had not been used (P=0.40). One hour postoperatively, female patients showed a marked decrease in handgrip strength after both vecuronium and rocuronium (32% and 34% respectively, combined P=0.01). These results suggest that in usual clinical practice at our institution, female patients are more likely to have residual weakness after muscle relaxants.

Nutrition and handgrip strength of older adults in rural Malawi.

To examine the relationship between the nutritional status and handgrip strength of older people in rural Malawi. Cross-sectional study. : Lilongwe rural, Malawi, situated approximately 35-50 km from the city. Ninety seven males and 199 females participated in this study. Selected anthropometric measurements were taken and nutrition indices were computed using standard equations. Handgrip strength was measured using an electronic grip strength dynamometer. The mean handgrip strength (in kg) for men was significantly higher than for women vs. In addition, there was a significant decline in handgrip strength with age in both sexes. Furthermore, handgrip strength was positively correlated to the following nutritional status indicators: BMI in males and in females), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) in males and in females) and arm-muscle area (AMA) in males and in females). After controlling for potential confounders, namely sex, height and age, the correlations between handgrip strength and the nutrition indices were still significant. The results of this study support the hypothesis that poor nutritional status is associated with poor handgrip strength. Malawian males had both lower handgrip strength and lower arm muscle area than their counterparts from industrialised countries. However, Malawian females had similar handgrip strength despite lower arm muscle area, in comparison with women from industrialised countries, reflecting perhaps their higher level of physical activity. Further studies are required to determine whether by alleviating nutritional problems a concomitant improvement in handgrip strength can be obtained.