Grip Strength and Inflammatory Biomarker Profiles in Very Old Adults

Background: weak grip strength (GS) and chronic inflammation have been implicated in the aetiology of sarcopenia in older adults. Given the interrelationships between inflammatory biomarkers, a summary variable may provide better insight into the relationship between inflammation and muscle strength. This approach has not been investigated in very old adults (aged ≥85) who are at highest risk of muscle weakness.

Methods: we used mixed models to explore the prospective association between GS over 5 years in 845 participants in the Newcastle 85+ Study, and inflammatory components identified by principal component analysis (PCA). Cut-offs of ≤27 kg (men) and ≤16 (women) were used to define sub-cohorts with weak and normal GS at each assessment.

Results: PCA identified three components, which explained 70% of the total variance in seven baseline biomarkers. Basal interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF-α) had the highest loadings on Component 1; stimulated IL-6 and TNF-α and homocysteine the highest on Component 2; high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) loaded positively and albumin negatively to Component 3. In adjusted mixed models, only Component 3 was associated with GS. One SD increase of Component 3 was associated with a 0.41 kg lower GS initially (P = 0.03) in all participants, but not with GS decline over time. Similar conclusions held for those in the weak and normal GS sub-cohorts.

Conclusion: an inflammatory profile including hsCRP and albumin was independently associated with baseline GS. Future studies linking inflammatory profiles and muscle strength are needed to corroborate these findings in older adults.