Handgrip Strength Predicts 1-year Functional Recovery and Mortality in Hip Fracture Patients

Objectives: Muscle strength is a possible predictor of adverse events. It could have prognostic value in patients with hip fracture (HF). The aim of this study was to determine if handgrip strength is associated with functional impairment, readmissions, and mortality at one year in elderly patients with HF.

Design: A prospective observational study was carried out. It included a cohort of patients aged 65 years or older with a diagnosis of fragility HF, consecutively from January 2013 to February 2014 and seen in follow-up at one year. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS v21 software.

Main Outcome Measures: Five hundred and nine patients with a mean age of 85.4 ± 0.3 years were included, of whom 403 (79.2 %) were women. Clinical and functional outcomes, laboratory parameters and anthropometric measurements were collected.

Results: Of the total sample, 339 (66.6 %) had reduced handgrip strength, and these patients were older, more frequently institutionalized, had poorer functional and cognitive status, higher comorbidity, higher surgical risk, lower body mass index and a greater intra-hospital mortality (all p < 0.01). At one year, patients with lower handgrip strength had a major change in their ability to walk (32.7 % vs. 10.9 %, p < 0.001) and a higher mortality rate (30.4 % vs. 8.8 %, p < 0.001). However, in patients over 91 years of age, there was no association between lower handgrip strength and change in ability to walk. There were no differences in the number of readmissions.

Conclusion: Low handgrip strength in elderly patients with HF predicts greater functional disability and higher long-term mortality.